.W5 



DG 428 
.N5 
Copy 1 



y 



January, 1902. 



The Plan Book. 



Vol. V, No. 5. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY 



TO 



ITALY 



CLARA E. WHITCOMB 

EDITOR 
MARIAN M. GEORGE 



FOR INTERMEDIATE AND UPPER 
GRADES 



* * \:> i '"<^ ['f, ^ ^* 



: CHICAGO : 
A. FLANAGAN COMPANY 



THE LIBRASY 0F 
CONGrS£SS, 

Two CoHES fiEcave* 

J^AR. 3 1902 

Copyright Ewnfy 
CLASS O^XXc H« 

7- r/ ^ 8- 

COPY B. 



Copyright, 1902 
By a. FLANAGAN COMPANY 



> 



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^ 



A Little Journey to Italy. 



Europeans tell us that Europe is the most beautiful 
country in the world and that the most beautiful part 
of it is Italy. And this is true, for there is no country 
of so small an extent that contains such lovely scen- 
ery, thrilling history, and vast treasures of art. Great 
numbers of people who visit^Italy are so charmed that 
they talk about it more than they do of any other for- 
eign country. This being so, we also want to see for 
ourselves its great attractions. 

In the first place we consult our maps and learn 
that the shape of Italy resembles a seven-leagued boot. 
It is long and flaring at the top, with a slender foot 
and high heel. In length, Italy is seven hundred 
miles. In the extreme north it is three-himdred and 
fifty miles in width. Along the leg of the boot it 
averages one hundred miles in width — of course, being 
narrower in the toe and heel. 

From Lombardy, the Apennines extend down the 
length of Italy, branching off in broken lines, so that 
one range goes down into the toe and the other down 
into the heel. They resemble somewhat the seam 
along the side of a boot. If^we stand upon the crest 
of the mountains in the heel, we observe that we are 
on a peninsula. Again when on the mountains near 
the hollow of the foot, we see that we are on another 
peninsula. It is only by looking at the map that we 



4 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

discover the whole of Italy to be a peninsula. And a 
large one it is, for it contains 111,405 square miles. 

From many points along the mountains, we have 
glimpses of the water either on one side or the other. 
The Apennines have rounded, wavy tops on which are 
dense woods with a clearing here and there where 
there is a Roman villa or an old castle. Perched on 
the sides of the mountains are huts that look as if they 
were camping out. Where the slopes of the hillsides 
are gradual, they are covered with forests and vegeta- 
tion. The always snow-crested Alps completely close 
in Italy on the north and with steep sides descend 
into Normandy. 

There are many quickly flowing mountain streams 
of clear, cold, pure w^ater made from melted snow. 
The rivers of Italy are few and small. The Po is the 
chief river in northern Italy. It has a rapid current 
and has washed much soil into the sea — thus being a 
natural builder of some of the land found at its mouth. 
The two rivers of any importance west of the Apen- 
nines are the Arno — which is the only one of any size 
— and the sluggish Tiber. These rivers add much to 
the beauty of the country, although they are com- 
monly of a muddy color. But they are not so useful 
in transportation, for they are hardly navigable. 

There is so much of interest in Italy — and it takes 
so long before one is satisfied — that many people re- 
main there for years. They spend the summers most 
delightfully on the cooler mountains, at Naples — where 
it is pleasant during the entire year, — or elsewhere on 
the coast. April and May — as well as September and 
October — are almost perfect months, and are there- 



Xougjtude East .from Greenwich, 







A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 5 

fore the best times during any of the seasons for see- 
ing Italy. Throughout the summers, the days are 
often unpleasantly warm, and the winters in the 
middle and northern parts disagreeably cold. 



.M 




NAPLES. 



ARRIVAL AT NAPLES. 

For a few days after leaving Gibralter, the great 
rock fortress guarding the western entrance to the 
Mediterranean, we keep on our course steadily until 
on a fine morning we enter the Bay of Naples. The 
water here has become as smooth as gla :s. What ex- 
citement there is on board! All are looking at the 



6 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

shore and walking from one side of the steamer to the 
other in order to see everything. 

Such a broad, lovely sweep of bay, we have never 
before seen. Surely there can be none more beauti- 
ful. How large it is, too. To our right is the misty 
purple island of Capri — which later we are to visit. 
Not far away is the peaceful town of Sorrento, with its 
fruit trees in blossom, its white stone houses embow- 
ered in orange and lemon trees, and their yards fra- 
grant with roses. 

About this time, we see a thick cloud in the clear 
blue sky which proves to be grey blue smoke hover- 
ing over the volcano Vesuvius. Until a few years ago 
the smoke rose from the top of the crater — just as we 
have seen it in the pictures of our geographies. Re- 
cently, though, it has broken through the side near 
the top. 

Everything in view is more lovely than anything of 
which we have ever dreamed. There is a saying by 
Italians — '^See Naples and die.'^ This is for the rea- 
son that its beauty is so great one ought to be satisfied 
never to expect any other spot in the world to be so 
delightful. Words fail us when we try in our 
home letters to describe it. However much we 
have travelled, this glorious sight makes us, more than 
ever, wish to see as much of the world as is possible. 

There is a broad level street near the water, along 
which people are driving in all sorts of carriages. 
Picturesque little beggars persistently follow the car- 
riages and are delighted to receive a copper or two. 
Should the gift amount to so much as five cents it 
will buy enough food to last an entire day. Many of 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 7 

these little beggars and other ItaHans Hve from day 
to day upon this small sum. 

At last the steamer stops and is lashed to the pier. 
Everyone hastens to go ashore. This is not done at 
once, for we find that we are directly in front of the 
custom house, and that the only way to go ashore is 
to pass through it. Here we must wait until the of- 
ficers have looked into our trunks and have asked if 
we have any tobacco or cigars. When we say we 
have nothing of the kind, we are believed. We have 
learned that going through this custom house is little 
more than a form. The officers have been polite and 
have taken no more time than necessary. They wear 
such little caps with small visors turned almost 
straight down towards their noses that they look un- 
comfortable. Nor are the visors any protection from 
the sun when worn out of doors. If there were not so 
many of these queer little caps, we might think their 
wearers had, by mistake, put on some belonging to 
small boys. 

ON LAND. 

Soon we are in an odd little cab which is something 
like a Victoria, except that it is tiny enough to be 
drawn by a pony. Indeed, the horse is almost small 
enough to be called a pony. The driver almost con- 
tinually cracks his whip and drives the horse as fast as 
it can go. All horses trot rapidly and there is so much 
cracking of whips that one thinks of the Fourth of 
July. 

Naples is a climbing city — for it beginsdown on the 
level shore — and keeps on until its height is about 



8 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



nine hundred feet. So, up and up we go. The httle 
horse has become tired, but the driver urges it on still 
farther. We reach the hotel and on passing through 
the door are in a court or garden. How strange that 
the houses here are built around yards, while with us 
the yards surround the houses. Everything is so dif- 
ferent from anything we have seen that we want at 
once to take a long walk. To our surprise — for a day 
or two— wx are awkward on our feet, and this is be- 
cause we have had such a shaking-up on the stormy 




PEASANTS IN CHARACTERISTIC COSTUMES. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 9 

Mediterranean Sea. However, we do not care much, 
because there are drives in every direction — and not 
one that is not of interest. 

Everything we see is entirely novel and strange to 
us. We walk out of our rooms onto little balconies 
that surely are just like private porches of the fairies. 
We often sit here to look at Vesuvius and the blue 
water of the bay dotted with islands and covered with 
queer looking sail and fisher boats. A steamer from 
Egypt is arriving and another is leaving for New York. 
There are, besides, small pleasure boats coming and 
going. 

HOME AND STREET LIFE. 

How dark the people are! The climate is so per- 
fect they live much in the open air. The sunshines 
brightly winter and summer, which tans the already 
dark Italians. Indeed, there is little winter in Naples, 
for it seldom freezes. We know^ that it cannot be 
really cold where orange trees grow out of doors and 
are always covered with green leaves. Naples has a 
well deserved reputation for being one of the dirtiest 
and noisiest cities in the world. It is the largest city 
in Italy, with a population of more than half a million. 

Many of the people are so poor that they live in 
basements where there are few if any windows. An 
entire family lives in one room where there is hardly 
any furniture. Others live in high houses in narrow 
streets. Some live at the bottom of the hill, some 
part of the way up, and others farther still until the 
top is reached. There are no elevators and no stair- 
cases in the houses, although, many of them have six 



10 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



stories. So, how do you suppose one gets up into 
them? We go around and see stone steps of the same 
width as the streets leading up from the bottom of the 
hill to the top. 




HOMES OF THE POOR, NAPLES. 



Almost at any time on these broad, high stone steps 
there may be seen groups of men, women, children, 
babies, dogs, and goats. Stretched across from 
window to window, and hanging on the windows,there 
are clothes spread out to dry. 

These tall, narrow houses are damp and chill, with 
many of the rooms so dark that when the inmates arise 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 11 

in the morning^they are glad to get out into the warmer 
air and bright sunshine. They never have to wait for 
breakfast, for it is not cooked at home, where there is 
no fire. The mother knows how to cook, and so do 
the httle girls. Even the boys can cook, but there is 
no need of going to the expense of having a fire whea 
breakfast can be had on the street. Besides, the 
Italians like to be together — just as does a flock of 
sheep. By going out, they not only get into the warm 
sunshine, but they meet many of their friends. A 
number of people who live high up in the houses save 
themselves the trouble of coming down by lowering a 
basket — with the money inside — for the food that they 
buy. 

Breakfast is the simplest of meals. It consists of a 
cup of coffee, costing one cent. The coffee vender has 
it in a queer shaped copper coffee pot, under which is 
a pan of burning charcoal to keep it hot. Soon the 
air is ringing with the harsh loud voices of pedlers call- 
ing out their wares — the clamor lasting the entire day. 

Charcoal pedlers are numerous. They carry the 
charcoal straight up on their backs in narrow bags 
which are longer than themselves. One vender has 
roasted chestnuts to sell, and another has steaming 
boiled ones which are so good that we often buy some. 
There are women with skillets of boiling lard in which 
they fry rice balls, doughnuts, crullers, potato cro- 
quettes, truffles, wafers, also artichokes dipped in egg 
and fried until they are a delicate brown. There are 
boiled beans, meat rolls — something like our turn- 
overs — and fried corn cakes stuffed either with rais- 
ins or cracklings. There is a shortcake greased with 



12 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



lard and spread with tomatoes and grated cheese. 
On fast days, the shortcake is greased with oil instead 
of lard, and 
spread with an- 
c h o V i e s sea- 
soned with gar- 
lic. There are 
kettles of to- 
mato sauce in 
which are float- 
ing bits of meat, 
and kettles of 
highly seasoned 
ragout. And — 
to us the least 
tempting of all 
— pig's blood 
mixed w^ith 
chocolate and 
beaten to a 
foam. This — a 
delicacy for the 
rich — is to be 
had at Christ- 
mas times only, 
blood, all of these 




STREET IN OLD NAPLES. 



With the exception of the pig's 
foods are cheap and are sold in 
small quantities, even as little as a half cent's worth. 
Of course, there are fruits, vegetables, and flowers. 
Cherries are just now in season and half ripe. The 
Italians — for some reason — prefer to eat fruit before it 
is fully ripe. Even food for the cats is not forgotten. 
In nearly every shop we see a sleek, well-fed cat. A 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 13 

man goes his rounds daily with cooked hmgs for the 
cats. The shop cat is usually given a piece cut into 
small bits. But the poor dogs have to do the best 
they can for a living and look out for themselves. 

Italians are called macaroni eaters. But this is not true 
of the poorer classes, who can afford to eat it once a 
week only. Thus it is in one or two quarters only that 
macaroni is cooked in the open air. As we wish to see 
how it [is eaten in Naples, we pay for dish after dish 
and give it to a begger child. The tubes of the maca- 
roni are longer than those we have at home. The 
child holds one end in his fingers,high above his head, 
taking the other end in his mouth. The long smooth 
macaroni shdes down quickly. So, we see a number 
of dishes disappear while we wonder how it is done so 
easily. 

For those persons who are not so poor there is the 
huge devil fish cooked in tomato sauce. There are 
lobsters, oysters, mussels, clams, starfish, truffles, snails 
from the sea, also land snails. During the summer, 
there are large kettles of hot field corn — not sweet corn, 
for this is not grown in Italy, although this would 
seem just the place for it. 

But the strangest of all sights to us is the delivery 
of milk. The cow is brought to the door, where 
the milking is done. In this way the milk is sure 
to be pure and not watered. A calf is tied to 
its mother, yet not quite near enough to do any milk- 
ing for itself. Thus, it is made to fool its mother by 
its efforts, so that she gives down her milk. And this 
is why the'milkman has brought it along. But some- 
times the calf fools him by slipping the rope far enough 



14 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



for it to enjoy the mother^s milk. When the man dis- 
covers this, he gives a loud yell, seizes the calf by the 
tail and pulls it away. We laugh, although we are 
sorry for the calf. Still it has succeeded in getting so 
much of the milk that there is no more to sell. 

As cows are dignified, they are taken along the 
streets,but the nimble goats can climb everywhere that 




ARTISTS' MODELS. 



we can. Therefore, they are taken upstairs, even in 
the best houses, where the milking is done. 

The Itahans prefer goats milk for babies, because 
they believe it contains no germs. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



15 




WASHING DAY AT NAPLES. 



Many of the poorer Italian babies and children die 
on account of the dirt, bad food, and impure air of 
the crowded sleeping rooms. Those who manage to 
live amuse themselves with Punch and Judy shows 
and various games. Italian children have sunny dispo- 
sitions, like the climate of their country. Although 
they grow angry quickly, the temper does not last 
long. They have large brown eyes and the blackest 
of hair. The climate is so perfect that they spend all 
of the time they are not asleep at home, in the open 
air — no matter what the season may be. 

The working classes are quaintly dressed. Women 



16 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



— wearing bodices around their waists — are washing at 
the fountains. The Unen is about the color of the 
stones — and not much cleaner for the washing. 




TYPICAL NAPOLITAN HUCKSTER'S CART. 

On every street one sees small carriages drawn by 
strong little ponies that come from one of the islands 
not far away. They have gayly colored harness and 
wear feathers standing straight up and nodding from 
the tops of their heads. The first thing that occurs to 
us is: — 

"Stuck a feather in his cap 
And called it macaroni." 

It was because of these same ponies in Naples with 
their gaudy head dresses of feathers that this quaint 
old rhyme was written. Some of the ponies and 
horses have no bits in their mouths. They are guided, 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



17 



instead, by a spike of iron or steel which stands out 

from the bridle near the mouth to which the hnes are 

fastened. 

ACQUARIUM. 

As the Acquarium of Naples is the finest and most 
interesting one in the world, we lose no time in visit- 
ing it. It is not necessary to order a cab, as there are 
many on the street waiting to be hired. As soon as 
we reach the front door so many cab men signal to us 
that we try to select the one whose horse looks the 
least tired. At the best, there are but few good horses 
for hire in Naples. 




A XEaPOLITAV rr.AiAXT'S TEAM— SLIGHTLY MIXED. 



We wind down many streets until we have reached 
the foot of the hill and are at La Villa— a park on the 
sea. In the park are tropical trees, statues, small 
temples and fountains. We soon arrive at the Ac- 
quarium — a large structure — which is in the middle 
of La Villa. We buy tickets and enter. Once inside, 



18 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

we open our eyes wide and look at one another in as- 
tonishment. We see what seems to be beautiful flow- 
ers in glass cases, blossoming and hiding themselves, 
and we are amazed to learn they are not flowers at 
all, but forms of marine life. 

We sit and watch the singular yellow or brown 
creations push up through long cigar-like hollow stalks 
slowly unfolding into what seem gorgeous chrysanthe- 
mums, then sliding down into the stock as completely 
out of sight as if they had never existed. This they 
repeat over and over again. Among them wander 
small, stately sea horses. 

In some of the tanks are pike fish, queer looking 
crabs and crawfish. Here are long fishes that are 
striped from head to tail. Some are spotted, others 
are large and round with large mouths. And others, 
still, have rainbow colors. Later when some of these 
are served up to us at the hotel table, they are so 
lovely that it hurts our feelings to eat them. When 
we stand before a hideous octopus, we are almost 
afraid until we recall that there is really glass between 
us. Yet, we touch the glass to be sure that no harm 
can come to us. The tanks are lighted from above 
with an effect of sunlight, and in them fresh water is 
constantly bubbling. We watch the white balloon- 
shaped jelly fish with their violet fringes. They are 
so thin and filmy that we can see quite through them. 
They are so lovely that we should hke to look at 
them every day of our lives. Every day fresh speci- 
mens of sea life are brought here in glass jars. A 
man places several of these jars in a basket and carries 
it on his head. What if he should stumble and let 
the basket fall ! But he never does. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



19 



SORRENTO. 

We go aboard a small steamer and in an hour and 
a quarter are at Sorrento. The town is on a slop- 
ing precipice over- 
hanging the sea. 
Along the shore are 
many grottoes. In 
1544 Tasso, the 
poet, was born at 
Sorrento. He 
lived in a house 
that was built on 
the water's edge. 
In time, the sea 
washed away both 
rock and house. 

On one side of 
Sorrento, there are 
mountains which 
act as a wall. 
They shelter the 
town of eight 
thousand people 
from the strong 
winds. On an- 
other side, is a 
deep ravine that superstitious people beheved to 
be the home of dwarfs. Across this ravine is a high 
bridge. The air here is just about perfect, for it is 
neither too cool nor too warm. It makes us feel 
well and gives us just enough energy. 




CHILDREN OF SORRENTO. 



20 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

The white stone houses nestle in the midst of fra- 
grant gardens, and some are almost hidden by green 
vines and trees. Here the orange and lemon trees 
bear at the same time blossoms and fruit. Roses, 
jasmine, and other flowers add their perfume to the 
scent of the heavily charged air. We observe that the 
people are extremely good looking. They have fine 
features and unusually good figures. They have large 
soft brown eyes, and gentle manners. 

We return to the beach and notice the bluest of 
skies, the blue water, the grey blue smoke above Ve- 
suvius and the misty purple islands. Naples appears 
like white spots in a forest of purply green. This is 
altogether the most charming view of nature we have 
ever had. We have been told that many travellers 
who come to the south of Italy for a few days remain 
weeks, that many who come for weeks remain years, 
and that a few linger for the rest of their lives. We 
do not wonder at this and so regret that we have but 
one month for the whole of Italy. 

CAPRI. 

Capri is a small mountainous island rising out of 
the water. It is a little longer than it is wide. In 
shape, its top is something like a saddle. Monte 
Solaro may be called the pommel of the saddle. It 
has a height of nearly two thousand feet. On one 
side, it rises abruptly from the water. The town of 
Capri is the capital of the island and is on the saddle 
part. It has about three thousand citizens. The 
number on the entire island is not more than five 
thousand. The slopes of the island are so steep that 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



21 




NATIONAL MUSEUM, NAPLES. 



as we view them from a distance, it seems almost im- 
possible to climb to the top. At the same time, we 
decide that it is one of the most beautiful of the won- 
drously lovely places in sight. As we approach, paths 
are seen in winding lines leading up the mountains. 
In this zigzag way the ascent, after all, is not as steep 
as w^e thought. 

The people of Capri are industrious and all are at 
work. They grow much fruit and make quantities of 
wine. They make oil from the olives which grow on 



22 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



the many olive trees. These trees thrive in rocky 
places where there is almost no soil. If there is a 
spot that is good for nothing else it is just the place 
for an olive tree to flourish. Many of the men are 

fishermen who go 
out to sea in their 
boats for fish and 
coral. The wo- 
men are largely 
engaged in weav- 
ing. The children 
beat down olives 
from the trees, 
gather fruits, and 
do all sorts of 
work for which 
they have the 
strength. 

Every year, 
more than thirty 
thousand strang- 
ers visit Capri and, 
as they spend mon- 
ey, this increases 
the comfort of the people. Children — as well as men 
— act as guides, and so earn their share of the money. 
Many artists come to Capri and paint the lovliest of 
pictures. Emperor Augustus was the first person to 
notice the fine climate and beauty of the island. He 
came here and lived for a number of years. He built 
for his pleasure aqueducts, baths, palaces, and twelve 
villas for the worship of heathen gods. Nothing is 




CHILDREN OF SORRENiO. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



23 



now left of these structures except ruins. Today, 
parts of them are used as cow and donkey stables. 

But interesting as the island is, we came especially 
to see the world-famed Blue Grotto. As we approach 
the entrance we 

notice the clear- m ™ ^^ ^^7 — "^^^^'"n 

ness, purity, and 
blueness of the 
water. How dis- 
tinctly we see the 
bright colored sea- 
stars,and jellyfish. 
They are numer- 
ous and so near us 
that we can almost 
touch them. But 
what a peculiar 
entrance. It is in 
the rocks and but 
three feetin height 
and quite narrow. 
On this account 
our skiffs are so 
small that they 
hold but three 

persons. We bend forward to avoid striking our 
heads against the roof. When we raise them what a 
change! Surely some one has rubbed Aladdin's lamp! 
We are in a cavern with a roof that is forty feet above 
us. The floor is of water one hundred feet in width, 
and one hundred and seventy-five feet in length. The 
depth of the water is sixty-four feet. 




PEASANT GIRLS AT NAPLES. 



24 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

Our eyes are dazzled by the brilliant blueness. 
Everything is blue — the water, the rocks, and the ceil- 
ing. We look at one another — and we, too, are blue. 
When we have become accustomed to the spectral 
blue, another surprise is in store. A boy plunges into 
the water and swims around, his body appearing to be 
silver. We then dip down our hands and arms — and 
they too, look like silver. As we row around, the 
parts of the oars in the water are all silvery while the 
parts out of it seem blue. And so it is with every- 
thing within the grolto. All that is out of the water 
is blue and all that is in it is silvered. Near the mid- 
dle of the grotto are some steps that are now closed at 
the upper end. They were, probably, the landing 
place for Tiberius, who from here went through an un- 
derground passage to his palace. So far as has been 
discovered, there is nothing in any part of the world 
like the Blue Grotto. 

After coming out and rowing for half an hour, we 
reach the Green Grotto. This entrance is high and 
there is an abundance of light. On going in, we see 
that everything is the lovliest, richest green — more like 
the emerald stone than anything else. All is rarely 
beautiful. Yet, there are still more wonders to come 
— for there is the White Grotto, where everything is 
as white as milk — the Red Grotto, whose roof sparkles 
with red crystals, the Fern Grotto where grow luxuri- 
ant ferns, and the Stalactite Grotto. 

We continue our row around the marvelous island. 
In placeS; the land slopes gently down towards the 
water. On it almost everything is growing. Figs are 
ripe. We do not understand why they should be in 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



25 



SO at this time of the year. We are told that last 
winter the clever Italians covered the trees in order to 
prevent the already formed figs from ripening. The 
covers were re- 
cently removed so 
that the sun could 
shine upon the 
trees. This ripened 
the figs and now 
we are eating the 
delicious fruit. In 
the water, we see 
many peculiar 
looking fish. We 
go by picturesque 
places,precipices,a 
small island called 
^^ The Gun ''—be- 
cause of its shape, 
and around one 
that is named 
"The Cheese." 
Our boat glides 
through archways 
in the rocks that were worn through by the water, and 
on past strangely shaped nooks. 

VESUVIUS. 
In the evening, we sit on a balcony and watch Vesu- 
vius. Great flames of fire flare up from the crater, and 
stones as red as fire shoot up with them. A lurid light 
is cast over the mountains, the city of Naples, the vil- 
lages, and the boats in the harbor. Everything looks 




NEAPOLITAN BOY 



26 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

as if it might be on fire. It is all so strange and 
wonderful that it seems more like a dream than reality. 
The Neapolitans do not have to buy barometers, as 
is the case with us. They own the largest barometer 
in the world — and it is Vesuvius. One can foresee 
the change of weather twenty-four hours in advance — 
according to the direction of the smoke from Vesuvius. 
When it moves toward Capri, there will be fine weather. 
If in winter it will be clear and cool. When the smoke 
moves toward the west, cold weather may be expected. 
When the smoke remains over the creater thick and 
heavy, a south wind with rain is to follow. So, when 
we want to know what kind of weather to expect, all 
we have to do is to step out on a balcony and read for 
ourselves. Switzerland has the tallest barometer in 
the world. What a grand sight, if the two mountain 
peaks could be placed side by side. Today, Vesuvius 
says the weather will be fine, so we go to Pompeii. 

POMPEII. 

Pompeii was once a town with a population of from 
20,000 to 30,000. In the year 63, there was an earth- 
quake which threw down temples, rows of columns, 
theaters, and private dwellings. The people at once 
began rebuilding and all was hardly completed when 
on August 24, 79 the whole city was entirely buried 
by an eruption of Vesuvius. First there was a thick 
shower of ashes which fell to the depth of three feet. 
There was time for the people to escape, but many re- 
turned — some because they thought all was over — and 
others to save what they could of their belongings. 
Suddenly, red hot pumice stones were thrown from the 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 27 

crater and came rolling down the mountain until these 
and the hot ashes were seven or eight feet in depth. 
There came more hot ashes, and then red hot stones 
until there was a depth of twenty feet. Pompeii was 
entirely hidden and two thousand people had met with 
a horrible death. 

In 1748 a peasant, in digging, found some statues 
and bronze vessels. This interested a king, who caused 
more digging to be done. Ever since then, other 
workers have unearthed parts of Pompeii until now 
there are always from a few to several hundred men 
at work. It is supposed, that at the rate these men 
are working, in little more than fifty years Pompeii 
will be entirely excavated. This will be at the ex- 
pense of $1,000,000. So many people visit Pompeii, 
that the admission fees amount to $8,000 a year. 

About one half of the most important part of Pom- 
peii has been excavated — temples, and amphitheater, 
public buildings, theaters, and private houses. So 
many stair-cases have been found that we believe the 
houses were of two and three stories, and that the 
upper stories were of wood. The lower part is built 
of small stones — held together with cement, with 
bricks, or with stones in the shape of bricks. The 
columns at the door ways, the pillars — and some of 
the sides of the houses are of stone. The houses vary 
in size and decoration, according to the wealth and 
taste of the owner. There are but few windows on the 
streets. When there are openings — as windows — they 
are protected by iron gratings. The best houses are 
entered from the street through a hall-like passage. The 
rooms open into a central space which was a court or 



28 A IJTTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

yard. Here, long ago, was a reservoir for the water 
collected from the sloping roofs. To us, the bedrooms 
seem small and too dark. In them, there may yet be 
seen one article of funiture — a stone bedstead. We 
go into other courts which have fountains in the center 
and statues standing about. Flowers once grew among 
them. 

We walk along streets — the widest of which are 
twenty-four feet, and along others whose width is 
but fourteen feet. As we cross from one side of the 
street to the other, we do so on the same stepping 
stones that people used nearly two thousand years ago, 
when the streets were wet with rain. We notice deep 
ruts in the stone paved streets, that were worn by the 
heavy chariot wheels. At the corners, there are foun- 
tains with backs that are of lovely mosaics. We see 
hollows in the stones that were worn by the hands of 
the people as they leaned over to drink from the 
fountain. The guide shows us how this was done. 

We pass by old wine shops which are much like the 
ground floor shops that we saw this morning in Naples. 
We stop at a counter of marble with large round holes 
in the top. Under every hole is a huge clay jar with a 
large mouth fitting into the opening of the counter. 
These jars were filled with wine which was protected 
by a covering of oil that floated on the top. And here 
they are today — empty and without a crack — as if the 
shop keeper had just stepped out to give an order for 
them to be refilled. 

As we watch the excavators at work, it is like play- 
ing a game, because every minute something new 
comes to light. As the walls are uncovered, they are 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 29 

quite damp, but uninjured, and of the most beautiful 
red. Of the kind, we have few walls at home so artis- 
tic. We go into a number of houses whose decorations 
are as fresh as if they had just been painted. The 
largest and most magnificent dwelling is the House of 
the Fawn. It received its name on account of a statue 
of a fawn that was found here in 1831. It was in this 
house that the celebrated mosaic picture of the Battle 
of Alexander belonged. Mosaics are commonly bits of 
glass or stone in different colors, stuck so closely with 
cement that one can hardly detect the edges. When 
a mosaic picture is finished — unless one is quite near — 
it appears to be a painting-. In the Battle of Alex- 
ander there are 1,374,516 of these stones — and not one 
of them is as large as the nail on one's little finger. A 
number of men worked upon it. Had but one man 
done so, it would have taken him a large portion, if 
not all, of his life to finish the work. 

In another house, we see on the dining-room walls 
a mosaic representing fishes, fruits, nuts, and other 
things to eat. Some mosaics are simply strange, some 
fanciful, and others exqusitely beautiful. We visit a 
theater, and walk along the street of tombs. We go 
into the museum and see the cast of a dog and of peo- 
ple that were suddenly surprised by death. They ap- 
pear to have had hardly time- to move. They were 
buried alive in hot lava — that soon hardened into a 
mold — which still remains while their bodies crumbled 
away. Plaster has been poured into these molds, so 
now we have perfect plaster representations of the 
death agony of these unfortunate people. The expres- 
sion of suffering and fear on the faces is as vivid as 



30 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

one can ever see on a living human face. It is so ter- 
rible that we almost wish we had not seen them. The 
dog is turning around as if he were trying to escape. 
The picture haunts us for days and probably we shall 
never forget it. 

As we were starting for Pompeii there was a young 
American girl who carried a mandolin. But there 
were no tickets admitting mandolins on the train. The 
agent thought awhile, and finally required her to buy 
for it a dog ticket. And so the mandolin travelled 
from Naples to Pompeii on a dog ticket. 
nUSEUM OF NAPLES. 

We reserve for the last the museum, believing that 
we can better appreciate and enjoy the objects here 
when we have been to the places where many of them 
were found. The museum was built in 1586 for a cav- 
alry barrack, yet since 1790 it has been a museum. It 
is a large, fine building, with so many things, that to 
see everything properly would require weeks. When 
our minds become so tired that we cannot well grasp 
what is before us, we step out on one of the balconies 
and sit down to rest. We are high above and almost 
over the corner of the two principal streets. We 
should never tire of watching the busy, animated 
throng below. On being rested, we continue going 
through the rooms. 

How delightful to see the Battle of Alexander after 
having been through the house where it belonged, and 
also for the reason that the figures are so lifelike. We 
wonder at the patience and skill of the men that put to- 
gether more than a milhon of the small cubes which 
made such a remarkable picture. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 31 

A marble vase attracts our attention. On it — in 
relief — is a graceful Mercury — messenger of the gods — 
followed by dancing figures. The strange story about 
it is that it was used at Formia as a hitching post for 
boats. It is odd that there was such a wealth of love- 
ly things, that one of them could be put to such a 
common use. We should be delighted to stand it in 
our best room at home. However, money could not 
buy this vase, for there is a law to prevent works of 
art being taken out of Italy. Still, when there are a 
number of things exactly alike, all but one may be 
sold. Here are some of the finest paintings, statues, 
mosaics, and dainty frescoes in existence. 

In no other museum are there so many frescoed 
walls — most of which were brought from Pompeii. A 
fresco is a plain color or picture that is painted upon a 
ceiling or wall before the plaster is dry. The painters 
then hving knew how to prepare the plaster so that it 
would not dr}^ so quickly as our plaster does. This 
being true , they did not have to hurry when at work. 
Some of the walls are painted over in one color of 
blue, yellow, black, or red — often the last — and are 
usually richly decorated. Many of the pictures tell 
the stories of the myths. 

An exquisite picture is that of Psyche — a goddess of 
beauty — holding a lyre. On the strings of the lyre 
Cupid, god of love, is so lightly poised, that in fancy, 
we see his toes lightly dancing over them, and can al- 
most hear the music. Other figures with gauzy but- 
terfly wings flit along daintily. There are pictures of 
graceful, lovely young girls whirling so rapidly in 
dancing that their fleecy draperies are in a perfect 
swirl of beautiful curves. 



32 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

A number of painters spend most of their time 11 
making copies of these maidens. The pictures they 
paint are readily rolled into small tubes and are easily 
carried. We buy some, while ever so many people do 
the same. 

Some walls have painted on them sprays, borders of 
leaves, flowers^ a bit of landscape, a house with trees, 
a grotto, a mosque, fresh fruit, and even cooking ves- 
sels. Most of all, we admire the airy, fanciful figures 
and graceful beauty of the human form. In other 
rooms, we find the remains of food brought from Pom- 
peii — and can tell what it is — although it was buried 
so long I ago. Strange as it is, the burning lava pre- 
served it. There is a bottle of oil, a pan of meat, figs, 
grain, pears, onions, nuts, honey-comb, round loaves 
of bread, one of which is stamped with the name of 
the baker, glass tubes filled with olives, and a glass 
dish containing barley. 

In bronze, there are figures of pigs, birds and 

horses. We are surprised to see tables, couches, 

lamps, drinking horns, tickets to the theater, pieces of 

money , tools of workmen, surgical instruments, vases, 

helmets, knives, combs, hair-pins, hand-mirrors, 

needles and even safety pins. Before leaving Naples, 

we buy souvenirs made of lava, tortoise shell and 

coral. 

ROME. 

We drive down to the station for Rome. Our 
trunks are on the carriage piled up around the driver. 
We have seen no express wagons in Naples. People 
and their trunks go together. The passengers stand 
in the crowded waiting-room near the door until a 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



33 



signal is given. The door opens and then everybody 
hurries out and aboard the train as if we were going 
to a fire. But what a funny little engine and queer 
little cars! The cars are no longer than some of our 
street cars and not so good. They are lower, flatter 




IX THE VATICAN. 



on top, of lighter weight, and resemble somewhat our 
best freight cars in shape and color. They are of four 
classes for travellers. On the outside of the coaches 
are the numbers in Roman numerals L, IL, TIT, IV. 



34 A LITTTE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

We j&nd our little room in the car and climb in. 
The early morning is chilly, for although the days are 
warm, the nights are almost cold. There is no stove, 
nor do we see any way to heat the car. A man throws 
in two long pieces of iron. We wonder at this when, as 
it is, we have little enough room. As they are in the 
way, we rest our feet on them. Ah, now all is clear, 
for they are warm to the feet. They are filled with 
hot water. A large dinner bell rings. A man calls 
out ^'pronte/^ (ready) then ''partenza/^ (departure), 
when off we go at the^ rate of thirty miles an 
hour. We have never travelled over a better road, for 
no one has ever built smoother and more durable 
roads than the Italians. 

But where is the conductor, or guard as he is called, 
and how is he to go through the car when the seats ex- 
tend from one side to the other? There is a door at 
either end and in time the guard comes shuffling care- 
fully along on the outside just as our conductors do on 
open summer street cars, and holding on to a railing. 
He is most careful, as there is danger of his being thrown 
off and killed. He looks at our tickets and that is all. 
We give them up after leaving- the train. 

How lovely the country is as we pass through it! 
The grape vines are festooned from tree to tree under 
which the already green corn will soon be rustling. 
There are groups of men, women and children in the 
fields. All are at work either pulling weeds or using 
heavy hoes. There is little machinery in Italy to 
lighten the labor of the peasants. The babies, too, 
are there all alone in their carriages off at one side out 
of the way. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



35 



Before reaching Rome, we see something resemb- 
Hng a large balloon turned upside down and floating 
in a sky of melted pearls. One exclaims, "It must be 
a giant's beehive!" Another replies, ''No, it is a pal- 
ace of the fairies 
up in the sky." In- 
deed, it does seem 
like something not 
of earth, yet it 
does rest on the 
earth and is no- 
thing less than 
the dome of Saint 
Peter's. The won- 
derful lights and 
colors in the sky, 
and the sun shin- 
ing upon the dome, 
make it difficult 
for us to believe 
the dome to be 
of stone, for it 
glistens like pre- 
cious jewels. 

We arrive a t 
the station, and 
again go through a 
custom house. In our travels, we find one at every 
city we visit in Italy. If we drive into the country, 
on our return, the officers detain us a moment at the 
city gates to see if we have brought anything with us 
on which we should pay duty. Should we have a 




PEAS.V^'TS 



36 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

luncheon of sandwiches and fruit, nothing is said. 
Should we have cake, we must pay a small sum on ac- 
count of the sugar that is in it. Thus we discover 
that sugar is a dutiable article. 



KING VICTOR EMMANUEL III. 

A BRIEF HISTORY. 

The beginning of Italy was the founding of Rome, 
753 before Christ. Rome's beginning was as a single 
city. With slow yet steady growth, she added the 
nearest settlements. Then she added little by little 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 37 

until she included the whole of Italy. Continuing, she 
extended her bounderies until she controlled the lands 
bordering the Mediterranean. At one time her power 
and wealth were so great, and her possessions so vast, 
that she deserved her title — ^''Mistress of the World." 

For no length of time has she ever know^n peace. 
Long ago, with many civil and foreign wars, her 
strength was at last taken away. So from being the 
first power in the world, she is now among the lesser 
ones. Yet, she is still known as ^The Eternal City." 
Her population is a little less than five hundred thous- 
and, while during the reign of Claudius Caesar it was 
estimated at 6,945,000. During the last one hundred 
years Rome has twice been under the reign of the 
French. She has twice been a republic, and, four 
times, supported by French soldiers, she has been 
under the rule of the pope. 

In 1871, Rome became the capital of United Italy, 
under King Victor Emmanuel II. On his death Jan- 
uary 9, 1878, he was succeeded to the throne by his 
son Humbert I. On July 29, 1900, King Humbert 
was at the little town of Monza near Milan, where he 
and Queen Margherita were spending the summer. 
He had been presenting prizes at the village school. 
He was standing in his carriage and bowdng to the 
people, who dearly loved him. Suddenly, an anarchist 
broke through the Hnes. Three shots rang out and 
Humbert fell — dying almost instantly. His only son, 
Victor, Prince of Naples, w^as then declared king under 
the title King Victor Emmanuel III., and now lives in 
Rome in the palace on the Quirinal. Italy is poor 
and suffers in her struggle to support the church, 
state, army and navy. 



38 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

INDUSTRIES. 

Notwithstanding the fact that Italy is poor, her con- 
dition today is much better ihan it was thirty years 
ago. Since then she has made such progress, more 
than that of any other European country, there is 
every reason to beheve that her future will beprosperous. 

Italy's greatest exportation is sulphur. Indeed, 
more sulphur is shipped from Sicily than from any 
other part of the globe. Sicily is a large island in the 
Mediterranean just west of the most southern point of 
Italy. We are not likely to forget its location, when 
we remember that Italy resembles a huge boot drawn 
back as if in the act of giving Sicily — ^^which is shaped 
like a foot — a good kick. However, she is not trying 
to kick the island away; far from it, for this is one of |> 
her valuable possessions. We have known the island 
on account of the juicy^ yellow Sicily lemons that are 
shipped to us. We are now to know it from the min- 
eral sulphur, that is also a bright yellow in color. 

As there are large deposits of pure sulphur, the mint- 
ing of it is rather easy work. First, solid squares are 
marked off, then pieces are cut out in blocks. At 
regular distances, pillars of sulphur are left as supports 
to the roof. Yet with all this care, many roofs fall in. 
The place mined is usually from twenty-five to fifty 
feet in width, and one hundred feet in length. Boys 
from eight to ten years of age seem to have the hard- 
est part of the work, for they carry the blocks, not 
only to the shaft, but to the surface. When the min- 
ers have excavated to the depth of three hundred and 
twenty-five feet or so, water power is used when it is 
to be had. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 39 

Another valuable mineral is Carrara marble — so 
called from the mountains of Carrara, where it is quar- 
ried. However, the stone is found in other parts of 
Italy. While the choicest marbles come from Greece, 
the next best, and the best known of all, is Carrara 
marble, the marble of which, for hundreds of years, all 
Italian statuary has been made. In a number of 
studios we see and hear the chipping. The purest 
variety is snow white. Some of the stone contains 
such beautiful crystals that they are known by the 
name of Carrara diamonds. Crystals and flaws so in- 
terfere with the work of sculptors that often an exqui- 
site statue is almost completed when a defect is dis- 
covered that ruins it. 

Carrara marble was first used in building palaces 
andother fine houses. In fitting together the blocks 
of marble, dishonest workmen filled in the flaws with 
wax that was colored the shade of the stone. No one 
knew of this until the weather injured the looks of the 
building by loosening the wax. luo this way, so much 
cheating was done, that at last, a contract would be 
made on condition that the structure would be sine 
cera, meaning ^ Without wax." And so, in this way 
we gained our word ^ ^sincere." 

Every year, Italy sends to us more than a million 
boxes of macaroni. In one of her many factories we 
see it made. Hard wheat grows in Southern Europe, 
in the countries bordering the Mediterranean and in 
other warm climates. This kind contains more gluten 
and other rich substances than is found in soft tender 
wheat. The flour made from the hard wheat is mixed 
with boiling water and beaten into a thick paste or 



40 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY, 



soft dough. While still hot it is put into a strong 
metal cylinder. Great pressure is applied, which 
squeezes the dough through holes in the bottom of the 
cylinder, where revolving knives cut up the macaroni 
into pipes three feet in length. The pipes are hung 
over rods in warm rooms, where they soon dry. Some-" 




MACARONI FACTORY, 

In the foreground macaroni on poles drying. At the left two men are 
bringing out a pole hung with macaroni. 

times we see them stretched across a quiet street and 
hanging near the ground, and often on the tops of the 
flat roofed houses. They do not break because the 
gluten is sticky and strong enough to support the 
weight of the dough. 

Italian macaroni is light yellow, half transparent, 
coarse looking before cooked, elastic, and so hard that 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 41 

it breaks with sharp edges like glass. When at home 
we can tell the genuine, as it shows the bend where it 
hung over the r®d.' In order to deceive, imitation 
maearoaii ifei colored the^g^ame s-hade as the real. How- 
©Jister, it plite; does nolf hold^together when hung over a 
ir©dyJ6o must be ;spread out-to dry. This causes a 
-ftirttened^side. We should rememberi the differences 
abetween tiiie two kind^ and buy the most nutritious, 
which is^Italinn macaroni. As well as^ in large hollow 
fc^bes, it comes in; , the form^ of ribbons, as vermicelli, 
tbat -is squeezed through small'' holes, and is cut into a 
nxonber ' of shapes— such as the alphabet, stars, ani- 
malsyitozrenges, and other ianciful forms.- When mac- 
aroni !?• cooked it swells to twice its 'original size. The 
iancy Miapes are 'eaten in soups. The> Itahians stew 
^^rmiceiii and macaroni iwith either ^grated cheese or 
rTtomatoe©.^ r '^^i ^i j^ [I.:- 

A greaf advantage that Italian macaroni has over 

other kinds ds' that it does not become pasty, is free 

from insects crawlintg into the holes, and may be kept 

any length of time 'without decaying or losing any of 

its good qualities. On -this account it is a valued 

article of food, especially for soldiers, explorers and 

-others who go away on long expeditions. 

. Di There are thirty-five species of olive trees — thirty of 

MThich are cultivated in Italy. The tree is of a silvery- 

:grey>t appearance, and in the distance looks feathery 

EKiki (far from strong. But, in reality, it is one of the 

hardies^t^ trees in existence, having been known to live 

'^efevenr hundred years. It is easily started by grafting, 

tbyf plariting young swelling buds, seeds, cuttings that 

grow about as well as willows and by shoots that start 



42 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

up around the stump of a recently cut down tree. 
The tree thrives best in a poor soil — its preference be- 
ing limestone, and requires but little water. Any light 
soil will answer — even clay soil that is well drained. 

The bark and leaves are used as a tonic in intermit- 
tent fever. In a dry season, the juice oozes out and 
forms ^^olive gum." Long ago w^arriors rubbed them- 
selves with the gum after a bath. At present, it is 
used as a perfume. The wood is closely grained and 
heavy. It is a light yellow or greenish brown with 
dark markings. It makes poor fuel but fine furniture. 

AVhen from five to seven years old, the trees begin 
to be profitable. For convenience in gathering the 
fruit, they are usually pruned to prevent their being 
more than thirty feet high. As they grow older, the 
crops are enormous . They may bear well every other 
year, still in Italy a good harvest is not counted on 
oftener than once in three or four years. First, come 
small, starlike white blossoms in such profusion that 
the trees look as if caught in a snow storm. Later, 
there appear white, green or purple olives, more or less 
oval according to the variety of tree. When large 
enough, the unripe olives are picked and prepared for 
the table. For several hours, they are kept under wa- 
ter containing potash, soda or something of the kind. 
Then they are rinsed and put into jars or bottles and 
covered with brine. Those that come to us are treated 
in this way. When olives are ripe, they are shaken 
from the branches, beaten off with poles, or left to fall 
to the ground, where they remain so long as to make 
inferior oil. A careful olive grower has the fruit 
picked, placed either in cloths, or baskets, and 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 43 

taken to the mill, where it is ground into oil. The 
Italians use the oil in cooking — just as we do butter 
and lard. As they do not need all that they produce, 
they ship great quantities of oil and fruit to us. Both 
are better than any we receive from other countries. 

More than 4500 years ago, the raising of silk worms 
and silk weaving originated in China. This began by 
gathering wild cocoons and preserving the eggs that 
were laid by the butterflies after leaving the cocoons. 
For more than two thousand years, China kept secret 
the making of the soft, fine msiterial. 

According to a story, some monks went from Con- 
stantinople to China to learn all about the worms and 
silk weaving. Then, they concealed some eggs in a 
bamboo cane and returned home. As 40,000 eggs 
weigh an ounce only, the smuggling was easily done. 
In a short time, the eggs found their way to Sicily, 
then up through almost every part of Italy, where are 
seen countless number of mulberry trees. These are 
grown for the leaves that are the food of the worms. 

When ready to hatch, the tiny black worm appears 
but a speck, surrounded by a white rim-like shell. A 
trained eye, however, is necessary to see this. The 
w^orms are placed on shallow trays and at once begin 
devouring the leaves provided for them. Strangely, 
their growth is not measured by the length of their 
short lives, but by the number of meals they eat. This 
is fortunate because, as all do not hatch the first day, 
the number of meals can be so arranged as to have all 
of the worms spinning about thirty or thirty-two days 
later. 

Every day, clean papers, with holes cut in them^ 



44 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

are spread out over the worms/ and on the papers fresh 
leaves are scattered. Soon the worms crawl up to eat/ 
Then, the papers containing leaves and worms are 
placed on empty trays. In this way, all is kept fresh 
and clean — a condition that is of importanoeijf j tk^ 
best results are to be had. When not. sheddingctHeir 
skins, which they do three or four times,^-afeeondfeg- it© 
breed, they never lose their good appetites; i^ 
daily they consume far more than double thek 
weight. ^Z 

When ready to spin, 'the once black worms have bet 
come ashy white. Along its length of from three to 
three and a half inches, there are two.^ tubes. (that con- 
tain the golden, liquid silk. As this oozes out thro\jg]| 
the spineret near the mouth, the head moves.Mjl^jfjfe 
and forth while uniting these two, gossamer thl^g^ite 
into one. The worm keeps on until jfa winds arou^ 
itself a cocoon of silk that is nearly t,w# )tiaile^ an^^a. 
half in length. The little peanut-shapedahou^, hm\^ 
in three days or so, is so strong that we can ne^l tm^^j^ 
open or bite through it. During the tW'Or (^r three 
weeks, while living there — unless it is killed,^h)i WQXm 
changes its form, cuts a door and comes out,9r:B:^t 
how different; it is now a butterfly! — rov 

Twenty-five years ago China was still leading tfe 
world in manufacturing silk. Italy, at that time, was 
doing little in this line. Now she supplies one third of 
all that is made. During the last three 3^ears her ex- 
ports in silk have increased from $65,000,000 to $100,- 
000,000. ( 

In other industries, Italy is fully awake. There?are 
many large kid .glove factories. Vast njumters are 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY, 45 

made in Naples, many by English firms that stamp 
their gloves — ''Made in England." Within thirty 
years Italy has multiplied her railway mileage by 
three. She builds her own cars, boilers and locomo- 
tives. She is engaged in shipbuilding at Genoa, Leg- 
horn, Venice and Palermo. 

The 32,000,000 of people within her borders are^on 
the whole, industj:'ious. Thousands of people work in 
southern Italy from fourteen to sixteen hours a day — ■ 
the men receiving twelve cents and the women four cents. 
Out of every $100 earned, $6 must go f or thesupport of 
the army and navy. The average tax per citizen is $15. 

Another drawback — Italy^s greatest is a dearth of 
fuel. For this reason she can never hold her own 
with other countries in the development of iron and 
steel industries. Coal that is delivered at many of our 
factories at $2.50 a ton costs in Italy $12.50. 

However, she is not discouraged — far from it, for 
she has learned what a wealth of power is stored up 
in her rivers, cascades and small water falls. The 
force here that is rushing along and tumbling down is 
equal to the same motive power she would get if she 
paid $100,000,000 to $200,000,000 a year for coal. It 
is supposed that the electrical energy given out by the 
rivers is equal to 380,000 horse power. This force is 
being used in electrical plants that light hundreds of 
towns and cities. 

So, on the whole, Italy is making such headway that 
no one can foresee the limit to her prosperity. 

FOUNTAINS. 

The first morning on waking we are disappointed 
by the sound of a shower of rain. But the day is 



46 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

bright and the air so balmy that we are perplexed. 
We go to the window and there in feathery foam is 
the water of a fountain rising, then falling in a spray 
like rain. We soon observe that Rome is a city of 



QUEEN HELENA. 

fountains. Perhaps we could say the city of fountains 
if it were not for Damascus where there are thousands 
and thousands of them — the water for them being 
conducted through aqueducts built by the Romans. 
Yet, there are so many in Rome, that when driving 
we are never long without the dehghtful sound and 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



47 




ONE OF ROME'S NUMEROUS FOUNTAINS. 



sight of at least one. Many are of great interest to 
us. We hear the roaring of Acqua Paola long before 
we are near enough to see the torrent rushing head- 
long and tumbling down into a large reservoir. The 
water is pure and comes from the country thirty miles 
distant. 

We wind through narrow streets, hear the gurgl ng 
of water, and soon are before the fountain of Trevi. 
This looks as if an immense pile of huge rocks had 
fallen down close to the walls of a palace. They have 



48 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

been here hundreds of years, and one might think that 
they had never been anywhere else. The water gushes 
out from under the palace into a stone basin that is so 
large it is really a small lake. A statue of Neptune— 
the god of the sea and other waters — is on one side in 
his car, driving plunging, spirited horses. Men are 
trying to hold them. Water pours from the nostrils 
. of the horses, from the shells the men are blowing, 
and from ever so many places in the rocks. All are 
having a merry time sporting in the water, by which 
they are almost covered. 

It is said that if you throw a copper coin into the 
basin of Trevi and then drink of the delicious water, 
you will surely return to Rome. If this were true, all 
would drink, because no one ever sees sufficient of 
Rome to be satisfied. Perhaps, however, as we toss 
in some coppers and take a refreshing drink, we may 
some day come back. At least, we hope so. 

STREET SCENES. 

We enjoy wandering through the quaint narrow 
streets, many of which are not wider than our alleys. 
In these streets, there are no sidewalks whatever. 
Sitting in the doorways are mothers combing their 
children's hair. In the street, women are sewing or 
cooking, while some are at stands selling fruits and veg- 
etables. The swarms of children, brighter and more 
active than the Neapolitans, amuse themselves just as 
they like best. All of the streets are paved with 
rough lava stones, which soon wear out shoes. Cob- 
blers are mending shoes and have plenty of work to 
keep them busy. They find it pleasant in the open air, 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



49 



.where they have no shop rent to pay and where they 
can talk with passing friends. 

On one of the principal streets, there are many for- 
eigners in plain dress, Romans in bright colors, and 
soldiers in gay uni- _ 

forms, to be seen. A 
procession of school 
boys out for exercise 
may be seen in charge 
of a priest. All wear 
tall silk hats and dress 
suits — and some of 
these tots are not over 
eight years of age. 
They walk and act like 
little grown-up men. 
Students from almost 
every country come 
here to attend college. 
They are dressed some- 
what like priests, since 
later in life they will en- 
ter the church. French 
and English priests 
wear gowns of black; 
South Americans, black 
with blue sashes,North 
Americans, black with red sashes; Poles, black with 
green sashes^ Greeks, blue gowns; Germans, bright red 
ones; Romans, black, violet or purple ;Bohemians,black 
with chocolate sashes; Irish, black with red lappets; 
Spaniards, black with blue cords, and so on. Each 
nationahty has a different style of dress. 




A PEASANT WOMAN. 



50 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

EDUCATION, RELIGION, AND CHURCHES. 

Every child in Italy has the privilege of, at least, 
some education. All cities and towns are provided 
with schools. When children live too far away from 
them, there are always priests that are willing to give 
instruction. Where possible, children are compelled 
to attend school. 

As for books to read, some are so cheaply made that 
the poorest people can afford, now and then, to buy 
one. Where there are libraries everybody can borrow. 
The Italians like to listen while some one reads aloud. 
From the highest to the lowest classes, all are fond of 
poetry. Many of the people — when suddenly called 
upon^can with ease, quickly make rhymes and even 
poetry. 

The rehgion of Italy if Roman Catholic. The pres- 
ent head of the Roman Catholic Church of the whole 
world is Pope Leo XIII, who lives in the Vatican 
palace' in Rome. 

We, certainly, have never before seen so many 
churches. They are always open, but as they have no 
seats, we never remain long. W^e often hear the 
musical church bells and chimes ringing out merrily. 
If the Pope should celebrate high mass in a different 
church every day it would take him more than a year 
to visit every place of worship in Rome. We admire 
but a few of the churches on the outside. Unless we 
had been told, we should not know what they are. 
They have flat roofs and do not look at all like our 
churches. And yet, while there are so many, we find 
no two alike. Of all, we prefer Saint Lawrence, with 
its three churches in one, and Saint Paul's, which is 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 51 

outside the walls of the city. Saint Paul's has 
many pillars and floors of polished marble. After 
coming from the warm outer air, the sight of so much 
marble is cool and refreshing. High up on the walls, 
near the ceiling, are rows of large mosaic portraits of 
the popes. In one portrait the pupil of each eye is a 
single diamond, larger that any one would ever think 
of wearing in a ring. The cloister, or courtyard of 
Saint Paul's is, without doubt, the most beautiful one 
in existence. 

Of course, one of the first things to do is to visit 
Saint Peter's. This is the largest, the most imposing, 
and to many the most beautiful church in the entire 
world. We w^alk up the long broad flight of steps that 
we believe must be nearly a hundred in number and a 
block in length. At the door, the heavy leather cur- 
tain is lifted, and we pause just on the inside. 

We have seldom felt so impressed. For a minute, 
we stand in silence, for never before have we been so 
awed at the work of man. Afterwards, we learn that 
this awe is felt by all that come to Saint Peter's for 
the first time. It is so much larger than we had ever 
thought possible. A number of other churches could 
be placed inside and yet seem but toys. People at the 
opposite end of the nave are so far away that they 
seem to us like dwarfs. If we should shout our loud- 
est, we could not make them hear. If we should wave 
our handkerchiefs it is doubtful if they could be seen. 
There are so many large pillars supporting the ceiling, 
that an active, wide-awake boy could play hide and 
seek among them the whole day long without being 
caught. However, no one when here feels like play- 



52 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 




m 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



53 




VATICAN PALACE. 



ing. Saint Peter's is so large that it has a chill climate 
of its own, and a singular one it is, the temperature 
inside the church being always the same, day after 
day, winter and summer, year after year. 

The Vatican palace, where the Pope lives, is a part 
of Saint Peter's. In this palace, there are eleven 
thousand rooms — not one of which is small. We 
walk through a long hall, a mile in length, containing 
marble statuary. Besides, there are several other 
rooms filled with statuary. Although it is difficult to 
believe, there is more statuary in the Vatican than is 
to be found in all of the rest of the world put together. 
We visit the mosaic factory and learn how mosaic pic- 



54 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



tures are made. We enjoy this intensely, for we have 
seen in Saint Peter's a number of mosaic pictures, 
each one of which would require forty years of a man's 
life just to make a copy. j 




i'OPE LEO XIII. 



In other rooms, we see some of the finest paintings, 
frescoes, and tapestries that have ever been made. 
We observe how much the grown people enjoy all 
these things for which Italy above all other countries 
is noted. And we suppose that we too shall under- 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 55 

stand them when we grow older. There is so much to 
be seen and the building is so large that when we go 
from one end to the other, we always drive. Other- 
wise, we should be too tired for any further sight- 
seeing. 

THE POPE'S JUBILEE. 

We are in Rome in time for the Pope's Jubilee. 
Sixty thousand tickets have been issued and still 
Saint Peter's is not crowded. The movement of the 
feet on the marble floor, and the murmur of the vast 
number of voices, sound like the roar of the sea. 
Musicians, standing in high balconies over the great 
central door, hold trumpets that are longer than them- 
selves. The famous bell, used upon certain occasions 
only, peals forth; the trumpeters blow long blasts; the 
red curtains of a side chapel are drawn aside — for now 
enters the magnificent procession of soldiers, guards, 
priests, and cardinals accompanying the Pope. 

Pope Leo — dressed in white and wearing the triple 
crown, is borne in a richly decorated chair of red and 
gilt that is carried above the heads of the people, 
where every one may see him. On each side, there 
walks a man carrying a large fan of ostrich feathers. 
The Pope's face, on account of a recent sickness from 
which he has not fully recovered , is almost as color- 
less as the pale ivory tinted fans. One almost forgets 
his plain features because of his kind expression. Al- 
though he is almost ninety-three years of age, his 
bright brown eyes sparkle in a manner we do not often 
see in those of young people. His slender hands, as 
delicate and shapely as a woman's, are partly con- 
cealed by long white mitts reaching high upon the 



56 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

arm. On a finger, a diamond sparkles. His crown 
seems heavy and this he frequently adjusts as if to 
ease the discomfort it causes. Either one hand or 
the other is in constant use as he slowly and rever- 
ently blesses the people. At times, one hand hangs 
down at rest over the arm of the chair. His dainty, 
frail form is in marked contrast to his strong will, 
clear foresight, and rare executive ability. 

Slowly he approaches, passes on and out of sight up 
to the high altar in the farther end of the church, 
where mass is celebrated. The faint odor of incense, 
the singing in the far-away choir and the broken 
words of chanting, are about all the sounds that reach 
us in this vast cathedral. Finally, the tinkling of a 
bell announces that all is over. At last, the grand 
procession again comes in view, moving as slowly as 
before. 

By this time the Pope seems affected by the heat, 
that has caused many to faint, for his face is flushed 
and darkened. He passes on and into the chapel 
through which he entered. The curtains are drawn 
together and the great multitude throngs out. We 
hope that the Pope may live to celebrate his twenty- 
fifth anniversary, and that we may be fortunate 
enough to witness the magnificent spectacle. 

FESTAS. 

There are so many festas, or church holidays, that 
to name and describe them would require more space 
than we have in the whole Little Journey to Italy. 
Of the great holidays, there are perhaps seventy, be- 
sides many lesser ones. They are usually attended 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 57 

with religious exercises, processions, illuminations, 
ringing of bells, and afterwards good things to eat. 
A few of the festas are the Carnival, Lent, Good Fri- 
day, Palm Sunday, Easter, the Pope^s Jubilee and 
Christmas. 

Christmas in Italy, as in our country, begins with 
Christmas Eve. Hundreds, if not thousands of bells 
are ringing. Inside the churches, the pillars are cov- 
ered with red cotton cloth and gayly decorated. In 
the side chapels, wax candles twinkle. The high altar 
is adorned with flowers. The tall, polished silver 
candle- sticks gleam under brilliant lights. At nine 
o'clock, after having spent the day in fasting, the 
Pope celebrates high mass. Mass is said too, in all 
the churches. 

During the Christmas season, thousands of people 
climb the famous one hundred and twenty-four steps 
leading up to the church, to witness this scene. From 
Christmas Day until January 6, on every afternoon 
from three to four o'clock, the crowd is greatest. 
Little children about five years of age make short 
speeches to the Christ child, or speak dialogues before 
it. Every one wants to see and hear them. They re- 
cite sweetly and naturally. Sometimes a little one 
takes a notion not to speak and refuses firmly, no 
matter how much its mother may coax. However, 
this stubbornness is counted upon, and another child 
is always present who is trained and ready to take the 
other's place. 

Suddenly, on the midnight of Christmas Eve, all 
the bells in Rome begin pealing forth merrily. In the 
principal churches, mass is said and there is unusually 



58 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

fine singing to be heard. The organist plays his best. 
A bell tinkles, and the perfume of incense fills the air. 

Processions of priests go through the streets bearing 
a cross, a banner, and singing psalms. They are carry- 
ing the sacrament to the sick. Not one sick person in 
the whole parish is forgotten. As the priests pass along, 
men on the sidewalk lift their hats, and others bow low 
down on the pavement out of reverence to the sacra- 
ment. Everybody goes to mass on Christmas Day to 
some small church near home. In this way t he Romans 
can worship in quiet, and so avoid the many visitors 
walking around in the large churches. 

The children receive presents of all kinds, and so 
do the grown people. There are crowds of people in 
the streets, all dressed in their best. They laugh, 
talk and are quite merry. Venders sell cigars, pump- 
kin seeds, chestnuts, oranges, and round cakes with 
holes in the middle, strung on poles. There are pic- 
tures of the saints. Madonna and child, wax dolls of 
the child, and other things for sale. On Christmas 
and New Years all the servants of our friends call 
upon us to offer their good wishes. We are expected, 
in return, to make them gifts of money. 

Epiphany Eve is indeed a noisy and singular holi- 
day. This celebrates the festival of Bejaiia, which is 
held on a certain square in Rome. The square is cov- 
ered with well-lighted booths containing toys for sale. 
As on our Fourth of July, everyone tries to make as 
much noise as possible. No one speaks, because no 
one can hear. Men, as well as boys, blow shrill whis- 
tles, deafening trumpets, beat drums, thump tambor- 
ines, clack rattles, jingle chains and ring bells. There 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 59 

is shouting, laughing, and every kind of noise they can 
think of to swell the sound and increase the fun. 

Instead of jolly Santa Claus, the Italians have Be- 
jana. She is a ^'tall, dark woman, ugly and rather 
terrible.^' She is supposed to come down a chimney 
ringing a bell. She has pretty toys that she puts into 
the stockings of the good children, and bags of ashes 
for the bad ones. However, she usually relents and 
gives pretty presents to all. On Epiphany Eve, boys 
represent Befana. They blacken their faces, dress like 
old women and wear grotesque pointed caps. In one 
hand they carry a cane or rod, and in the other a lan- 
tern. At their feet, there are baskets of toys, fruits, 
and candies. Around their necks, there hang stock- 
ings filled with presents. Those for the good httle 
ones have toys, fruits and letters expressing good 
wishes. In stockings for the naughty children, there 
are bags of ashes and scolding, threatening letters. 

QAHES. 

Romans play a number of unusual games. Often, 
we see groups of men throwing up their hands and 
shouting. They seem excited as if they were quarrel- 
ling. But this is not so at all. They are playing 
morro. This they learned from the Greeks, who had 
learned it from the Egyptians. How do we know 
this? Today when people go down into the tombs at 
Thebes, they see paintings on the walls of men playing 
morro. This painting was done four thousand years 
ago. Two men play the game. They throw up their 
hands, sometimes holding up their thumbs, and as 
many fingers as they wish. Each man knows how 



60 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



many he himself holds up. He must guess the num- 
ber which his companion holds up and quickly call out 
the entire number of the four hands. This makes the 
players close observers and quick thinkers. Children, 
as well as men, play morro. 




A GENOESE MONK. 



Blind Cat is usually played in the Piazza del Popolo, 
(square of the people), the most imposing square of 
Rome. In the center is a fountain adorned by four 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 61 

lions of Egyptian granite — with water pouring from 
their mouths. When Bhnd Cat is to be played, a col- 
lection is taken up from the crowd in the square,which 
is greatest on moonlight nights in August. This money 
is to be used as the prize in the game. The players 
are blindfolded, turned around three times, then started 
off towards a certain point. The one who succeeds in 
reaching the goal receives the money. However, the 
players often become confused at what the people say. 
One may be going in the right direction, then turn and 
walk back to suddenly strike his head against a lion's 
mouth and be covered with water. Another may 
tumble into the fountain and get a ducking. These 
mistakes afford much amusement to the light hearted, 
pleasure loving Italians. 

Formerly, there were bull fights, bull baiting, buffalo 
racing, horse racing, tournaments, joustings, and hunt- 
ing. Almost all of these sports were cruel. 

The most general and popular game throughout 
Italy is the lottery. This unfortunate habit was be- 
gun long years ago, long before the discovery of Amer- 
ica. Many Italians spend all the money that can be 
spared in buying tickets. Many go hungry in order to 
gamble. Therefore, the lottery is a great curse. It is 
under the control of the government, which receives 
from it a large revenue. 

BIRDS AND ANIMALS. 

Birds of many kinds, sizes, and variety of plumage 
are found in great numbers in Italy. There are 
herons, tame geese, wild geese, ducks, swallows, pig- 
eons, quail, wood- cock, and others. Even such de- 



62 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

lightful songsters as the thrush, lark, and nightingale 
are netted in such number that they are sold in the 
markets of Rome for food. Those who want other 
game, hunt the hare, rabbit, roebuck and wild boar. 

Fine horses are bred on the Campagna near Rome 
and are branded on the thigh with the initials or coro- 
net of the owner. They run wild until three years old, 
when they are caught and broken. They have such 
hard, tough hoofs that the fore feet are but lightly 
shod, and the hind ones not at all. They never slip,as 
do all other horses in going over the rough stone streets 
leading up and down — not the seven — but the nine 
hills of Rome. 

On the Campagna are also bred the strong, silvery 
grey cattle of great size, whose coats shine like satin. 
They have mild brown eyes, and horns spreading five 
and six feet from tip to tip. These are the descend- 
ants of the white cattle of which Virgil writes. 

About four hundred years ago, buffaloes were 
brought from other lands. They are now found all 
over Italy and especially in the country south of Rome. 
They are made to work, although they are half wild^ 
sullen and dangerous. ^ Pens are frequently found on 
the Campagna where people can run when chased by 
buffaloes. As they are stronger than oxen, they do 
the hardest work. They are driven with goads through 
the Pontine Marshes in order that they may tear up 
with their feet and horns the long grasses and weeds. 

Of course, in Italy there are many sheep and goats. 
Instead of being driven, the sheep follow their shep- 
herds. The shepherd's dog is a large fierce Bernard. 
He will not permit a stranger to come near the sheep 
during the shepherd's absence. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 63 

THE OBELISKS. 

In our daily drives, we pass by great obelisks that 
are older, and yet better preserved than the city of 
Rome itself . They are in good condition for the reason 
that granite is harder and more durable than Italian 
stone and marble. By order of the Pharoahs, they 
were made — always in pairs — the two obelisks being 
exactly alike. A handsome one stands in Central 
Park in New York City. The mate still remains where 
it was first placed in a once famous town near Cairo. 

Nearly every one of the many obelisks — made in 
Egypt, now adorns the squares of Rome. They were 
brought to Rome at great expense and work. Some 
of them were in existence during the time of Moses. 
When Joseph was sold and taken down into Egypt, he 
saw these very obelisks. Near them, without doubt, 
Joseph, Mary and Jesus rested on their flight into 
Egppt. And to think that today even we can touch 
these same great monuments. We know numberless 
tales about them, both beautiful and sad. It is doubt- 
ful if there are any true stories of inanimate objects 
that are more interesting, thrilling and unique, than 
those about these Egyptian obelisks. 

THE APPIAN WAY. 

We drive through the ancient gateway out upon the 
Appian Way in the rich warm sunshine— just as all the 
old Romans did. Our carriage wheels rattle over some 
of the very stones that have been here for nearly 
seventeen hundred years, for this most magnificent of 
all roads was begun 312 years before Christ was born. 
As far as we drive, we see the road is in a line which 



64 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 




ANCIENT GATEWAY 



seems to end at the top of the hill, the point where 
the apostle Paul had his first view of Rome. Beyond 
the hill, the road continued across the Pontine Marshes 
toPadua,and later extended to Brundusium. Through- 
out its length it was roughly paved with large square 
stones. 

We believe that many of the stones on the road 
near Rome must have been taken away for some other 
purpose, because they were two heavy and too large to 
have been lost. They were large enough to be used 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



65 



for building purposes, no plaster being needed to hold 
them together. As all these lava stones are darker in 
color than any we have noticed in Rome, it puzzles us 
to know what has become of the missing ones. 

The Appian Way was bordered on each side, not by 
trees, but by fam- 
ily tombs. Al- 
though these 
tombs are in ruins, 
we see that some 
are of brick faced 
withmarble,others 
of stone or marble 
having various 
shapes and styles. 
On a number of 
tombs, we read the 
names of great 
men whose ashes 
were deposited in 
urns placed inside 
the tombs. From 
the simple style 
of statue leaning, 
sittingorstanding, 
the size varies to 

that of the historic round tomb of the wealthy Cecelia 
Met alia. 

This tomb, which is seventy feet across the top, is so 
large that it was once used as a fort garrisoned by 
hundreds of soldiers. The lower part became a dung- 
eon keep. Now, bushes and ivy are growhig in such 




TO>[BOF CECELIA METALLA, AI'I'lA 



RO.Mi:. 



66 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 




SENECA'S TOMB. APPIAN WAY, ROME. 



profusion in its crevices that the tomb is festooned in 
green. Trees, too, are flourishing in the debris. Al- 
most all of the marble facing the square foundation of 
the tomb is gone. It was this very missing part which 
was used in constructing the fountain of Trevi which 
we have seen in Rome. As not a single stone was 
quarried for the great church of St. Peter's, the ones 
which were not taken from other buildings, may per- 
haps have been brought from these tombs along the 
Appian Way. 

For a short distance before reaching the tomb of 
Cecelia Metalla, we have been jolting over rough stones 
through a narrow street that is enclosed by brick plas- 
tered walls so high that we can not see over them. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 67 

And, yet, this was once the broad road, now so 
changed, that except for the tombs is hardly to be 
recognized. We soon pass beyond the walls, where 
opens to us the most beautiful part of the Appian 
Way, We see broken aqueducts, ruinous castles, 
tumble-down villages, and further on the desolate 
Campagna as far as the Sabine and Alban mountains 
which shut off the view of the ocean. Near the road- 
side are the ruins of an ancient church. Although al- 
most every building here is in a ruinous state, it is 
softened and beautified by vines, shrubbery and trees. 
The small houses that are built on the edges of the 
street are neither homelike nor comfortable looking. 
The doors are built in the back of the houses, there 
are none whatever in front, and the lower windows are 
iron grated. Scattered along the way are wine shops 
and out of door booths. Some of the booths have 
their side walls and roofs covered with corn stalks. 
Others have their rough frame-work hidden by a 
luxurious growth of grape vines. On a hill, which is 
the ruins of a tomb, is a modern house surrounded by 
gardens, vineyards, ohve trees, and forest trees, all of 
which have their roots under tombs. 

THE CATACOHBS. 

At the time when the Romans burned their dead 
and built these magnificent tombs in which the ashes 
were preserved, the Christians in secret buried their 
dead, thousands of them being martyrs, under the 
earth with no monuments above to mark their resting 
places. At first, these burials took place in the yards 
of relatives. Afterwards, however, the Christians 



68 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



chose large, cemeteries which are the Catacombs named 
for the men who began them. They He outside the 
walls of the city, forty in number, covering six hun- 
dred and fifteen acres of ground. The passages in 
them, from eighteen inches to four feet in width, are 
so many that if they were straightened into a single 




AQUEDUCT OF CLAUDIAX. ROME. 

line, the line would extend five hundred and forty-five 
miles — little less than the length of Italy. 

Just off the Appian Way, we enter a little house, 
buy tickets, receive some little wax tapers and then 
with the monk Sebastian as guide, start for the Cata- 
combs of Saint Calixtus. Our walk from the carriage, 
in what seems to be a field of ordinary appearance, 
has not taken five minutes. When our tapers are 
lighted, we descend a crude staircase to a narrow 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 69 

place under the earth that would be utter darkness if 
it were not for our faint lights. We walk one behind 
another taking care to keep up with Sebastian. Oc- 
casionally, he pauses before the niches cut into the 
soft rock one above another, on the order of book- 
shelves. In each of these niches from one to four or 
five bodies were buried many long years ago. Sebas- 
tian calls our attention to a niche that will hold all of 
us. He laughs, picks up the marble slab that fits into 
it and tells us that if we want to be buried here, he 
will put up the slab and seal us in. 

THE BATHS OF CARACALLA. 

By the side of the Appian Way, exactly one hun- 
dred years before it was begun, Caracalla began to 
build his luxurious baths. These baths, including the 
grounds for games and sports, enclosed space that was 
a mile in circumference. There were sixteen hundred 
marble seats for the sixteen hundred men that could 
be accommodated at the same time. There were 
rooms of different degrees of heat. Into the marble 
basins in the warm and hot rooms, there poured con- 
tinually, through large pipes having massive silver 
mouths, great streams of hot water. Every possible 
luxury was here. As the men reclined in the baths, 
poets recited their verses, statesmen and politicians 
discussed government affairs. And so, thousands 
daily wasted many hours in this, and in other Roman 
baths, in luxurious idleness. By* this manner of liv- 
ing, the men were weakened in body and mind until 
it became the beginning of the decline that led to the 
fall of Rome. 



70 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 




NEAR VIEW OF THE COLISEUM, ROME. 



THE COLISEUM. 

One of the most imposing buildings, the largest 
theater that has ever been built, is the Coliseum. This 
structure of brick and stone, which seated 87,000 
people, was finished by Titus in the year 80. During 
the first one hundred days after its dedication, there 
were battles between cranes and dwarfs, gladiatorial 
combats, in which even women took part, naval bat- 
tles, and the slaying of five thousand animals. In 
time, the Coliseum became a fortress, was captured, 
and later was again used as a place for sports by the 
introduction of bull fights. An emperor celebrated 
his birthday by having the arena represent a forest, 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 71 

and by killing one thousand animals. Another em- 
peror himself fought as a gladiator. 

Horrible as these cruel sports were, even far worse 
ones took place, because, for amusement, Christians 
without number were torn to pieces by wild beasts. 
Sometimes, the lions and bears refused to attack these 
human beings, who then met with more awful deaths, 
either by slow torture that lasted several days, or by 
a quicker release from their sufferings by being shut 
up in a brass bull and roasted alive. 

Like other ancient buildings in Rome, the Coliseum 
is in ruins. As the materials in it were valuable, they 
were coveted by a certain prince who desired to build 
a palace. So, he asked and received unwilling per- 
mission from his uncle, the pope, to have all the stone 
and marble that he could take away in a day of twelve 
hours. Then he sent four thousand men, who tore 
down and hauled away thousands of wagon loads. 
Thus began the great destruction. Later, a number 
of the finest palaces that we now see in Rome were 
built of materials taken from here. Although so much 
plundering was done, one third of the Cohseum yet re- 
mains standing. It is still so large and impressive 
that the interest is shared between this structure and 
Saint Peter's, the two most fascinating and imposing 
buildings in all Rome. 

We go into the arena, look over it, up and over the 
rows of seats that rise high in the heavens, and down 
into the cells where the wild animals were kept. We 
climb to the top, a dizzy height, and gaze over the 
wondrous Eternal City. We never tire of coming to 
the Coliseum, although it always recalls pictures of 



72 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



the fearful scenes of the past. We see it by moon- 
hght, sit in the arena while Bengal lights in clouds 
float over the great tiers of seats. Another time, we 
remain outside in the carriage during an illumination. 




MAMMERTINE PRISON 



From all the arched windows, the lights pour out like 
flames until the whole gigantic ruin seems a great and 
awful fire. 

Before leaving Rome, we visit hundreds of palaces, 
churches and other buildings. We plainly see that 
the buildings which are round with no rough edges, 
except where intentionally injured, have worn better 
than square or oblong ones. We climb high above 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 73 

the ground to the top of the dome of Saint Peter's. We go 
down into the Mammertine prison, the cold dungeon hewn 
out of the sohd rock where Peter and Paul were im- 
prisoned, and into underground churches where there 
is not a ray of light from above. We are told that it 
takes forty years to see and know Rome thoroughly, 
and it must be true. What we have seen only makes 
us wish for a longer stay. Yet, we must hasten on to 

FLORENCE. 

Florence, ^^The beautiful,'' is well named. It is be- 
lieved, by many, to be the most beautiful city in the 
world. During the winter season, the weather is se- 
vere, changeable, and trying on account of the cold 
winds which sweep down from the snow covered Apen- 
nines. The summers are warm, although healthful. 
Because of the peculiar climate the doctors say that 
they do not see how anyone can live through the win- 
ter in Florence and how in the summer anyone can 
ever die there. 

We live on the Arno, where we like to watch the 
curved bridges with open arches, and the people cross- 
ing them. Early in the week, huge covered wagons, 
drawn by the silvery grey oxen, come from the couu- 
try into the city for laundry. On Friday, the same 
procession again creeps over the bridges with the now 
clean and fresh clothes. Florence lies on both banks 
of the Arno, joined by six picturesque bridges. All 
of them are old. One of them is as strong as it ever 
was, although it was built over five hundred years 
ago. And over this very bridge Columbus may have 
walked. As we remember, Columbus was born near 



74 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



Genoa, and as many people were attracted to Flor- 
ence, who knows but what he was here and saw other 
things that we, too, see. On the outside of the bridge, 
looking like bird cages, there hang irregular Httle 
shops containing silver jewelry. 




COLU^lBUS. 



Florence is filled to overflowing with the choicest 
works of art that the whole world has to offer. The 
campanile, hly of the A^no, is the most beautiful tower 
that has ever been built. Hundreds of years ago, 
Dante, who was born in Florence, gave Italy its classic 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 75 

language. The Florentines have always believed that 
they have been superior to all other Italians and as a 
proof will mention the large number of great people 
who have lived in their city. At any rate, never in 
any one place have so many great painters been born 
as in Florence. We go through the homes of Michel 
Angelo, Savonarola, the priest, and others. Savona- 
rola's chair, that is still in the cell he occupied, is quite 
comfortable. The chair owned by Michel Angelo 
and handed down from his grandfather is as uncom- 
fortable as any to be found. 

A certain man, having great wealth and fine taste, 
collected the choicest pictures and statues which he 
could buy. He ruled like a king and lived in great 
splendor. He drew to his court the greatest painters, 
writers, scholars, men of science and culture of the 
age, and yet he was not a king. Although this was 
before the discovery of America, we have the great 
privilege of seeing these pictures and statues, as well 
as do thousands of other people. We see them at our 
leisure, which is more than the people did in those 
troublesome times of old. 

During the many wars in those days, the palaces 
were fortresses. Some of them were so close together 
that chains w^ere thrown from the top of one to an- 
other. Over these chains, soldiers passed in order to 
defend the palace that was most strongly attacked. 
Of the thirty-nine palaces in Florence worth seeing, 
the Pitti Palace is the most imposing not only in all 
Italy but in the whole world. Magnificent as the 
building itself is, its main beauty is the picture gal- 
lery on the upper floor. The Ufizzi is another picture 



76 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



gallery on the other side of the Arno. The two pal- 
aces, connected by a covered passage, which is the 
second story of the bridge, is also full of pictures. 




BAPTISTRY. 



These three together are considered the crowning glory 
of the entire world. 

Another unique building, the Baptistry, attracts 
much attention. Its large doors are of raised pictures 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 77 

in bronze. Upon one set of double doors, a man worked 
for twenty years before they were finished. These 
pictures are of Bible scenes and so beautiful that 
Michel Angelo said they were fit entrances into paradise. 

In this Baptistry, every child that is born in Flor- 
ence is baptised. This religious exercise is performed 
when the baby is but a few days old. When the pa- 
rents are too poor to buy a suitable dress they either 
rent or borrow the prettiest one to be had. The boy 
wears a red ribbon on his dress, and the girl a blue 
one, which is the madonna's color. There is great re- 
joicing, which is followed by a feast at home. The 
Italian babies are loved dearly. Whenever one is 
given up, it is usually because the parents are too poor 
to provide for it. It is seldom that one is utterly 
abandoned. The child may be left at the foundling 
hospital with a ribbon of some color other than blue 
or red. This ribbon is carefully kept. Later when 
the mother comes with a piece exactly like it, and the 
cut edges match, the people at the asylum know that 
the baby is hers and so let her take it away. Some- 
times so many years pass that the baby has become a 
large child before the mother comes for it. Sometimes 
a coin is cut into a certain shape and left with the 
baby. When the mother shows the other part, if the 
two fit together, this is proof that the baby is hers. 
While the mother misses her baby, she knows that 
while it is in the hospital, it receives good care and 
food. 

On the outside, the fine large hospital is decorated 
with lovely porcelain babies. They are dressed in 
swaddling clothes exactly as the Italian babies are 



78 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



dressed today. As the hospital was built several hun- 
dred years ago, we see that the style for the dress of a 
baby does not often change. 

We go to a certain market and find nothing except 
hats for sale. We have never seen so many together. 




A CHARCOAL GIRL. 



For miles around Florence they are made by hand and 
brought here for sale. Some are of the fine Florentine 
straws that we pay so much for at home. They are 
cheap here and so pretty that we must have some. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 79 

On another day this market place is completely 
filled with fragrant roses and other flowers for sale. 
Such masses of blossoms are seldom seen elsewhere. 
Large as the market is^ there is not room enough for 
all the flowers, for more are seen on palace steps and 
in other places. We see, in a certain square, a solid 
circle of rose petals twelve or fourteen feet in diame- 
ter and several feet in height. This covers the spot 
where Savonarola died , for this is the anniversary of 
his martyrdom. 

In May, on a special holiday, we see on every street 
and corner crickets or grasshoppers for sale. The tiny 
wooden cage, holding one captive only, is but two by 
three inches in size. Between the bars, there is a bit 
of lettuce for food. This custom is an old one and is 
connected with the prospect of crops. On the Satur- 
day before Easter, in front of the cathedral, a chariot 
is driven up that is heaped with fireworks. At noon, 
a dove descends along a string from the high altar, 
touches off the fireworks, and returns to that altar. If 
the dove has wavered, the coming crops are supposed 
to be more or less of a failure. Should the dove go 
directly to the fireworks, touch them off and return 
without delay , there may be expected an abundant 
harvest. Thousands of peasants are present eagerly 
watching the movements of the dove. They believe 
that according to its actions, the harvests will be 
either bad or good. All the fireworks have not gone 
off, so the remaining ones are taken to another place 
and sent up. 

Pisa, now a quiet town of less than thirty thousand 
souls, was once an important, thriving city. We go 
there to spend the day. 



80 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

The Leaning Tower is far more interesting than our 
geographies represent it. On chmbing it, we are al- 
most afraid it will fall. It leans so much that it 
makes us dizzy. Both the tower and the cathedral 
are of pure white marble. But the cathedral has 
stripes of colored marble. Inside the cathedral, our 
attention is called to a bronze lamp that is hanging on 
a wire suspended from the ceiling. The ceiling is so 
high that the lamp is always swaying slightly. It 
was this same lamp which gave Galileo the idea of the 
pendulum. 

VENICE— THE DREAM CITY. 

From Florence we take a train, and, after riding for 
a few hours, we get out at a station that is much like 
others in Italy. For the last two miles and a half 
there has been a stretch of water reaching almost to 
the railroad ties. 

We walk through the station to the street, but not 
a carriage is in sight, neither is there any land to be 
seen. Before us there is nothing except dark water, 
queer looking boats, and crowds of people standing on 
the small landing. All the boats are painted black, 
and some have hearse-like coverings. There is much 
shouting and hotel runners are numerous. 

We get into a long, narrow boat that is called a 
gondola. The gondolier has but one oar, and stands 
back of us,where we do not see him as we go forward. 
Skilfully he takes us out of the mass of boats wedged 
tightly together, and soon we are gliding rapidly along 
the Grand Canal. On either side houses and palaces 
of stone or marble rise abruptly from the water. They 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



8i 




:r?« 



a i l! #' i a i^ /^ 




GONDOLA. 



look as if they were floating on its surface. As we 
skim along, we are now in deep shadow, then in bright 
light. The wavering reflections cast long broken lines 
on the slightly ruffled waters^ There is nothing but 
water and houses. There is no sound save the swish 
of water against them, the thump of the gondola as it 
rises and falls on the water ,^ and the occasional cry of 
a gondolier. 

The gondola rubs up against the door of our hotel 
and stops. There is not the tiniest bit of ground, so 



82 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITAIiY, 



we step directly from the gondola into the hotel. We 
take rooms in an upper story, as they are dryer than 
the lower ones, and, therefore, more desirable. The 
damp, air of Venice is bad for people troubled with 
rheumatism, but fine for those having catarrh. There 




STREET IN VENICE. 



is no dust to get into our lungs or blow over our 
clothes. The quiet of Venice makes it ideal for nervous 
people. One almost forgets that there are such things 
as the rattle of wheels and the noise of machinery. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 83 

LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION. 

Venice is two miles and a half from the mainland. 
It was • once a group of one hundred and seventeen 
islands. Into these, piles were driven, and upon them 
Venice was built. There are one hundred and fifty 
canals as streets, and so one goes in different kinds of 
boats from place to place. These canals are crossed 
by three hundred and seventy-eight high, arched, stone 
bridges. And yet there are a number of real streets 
that were built and paved with asphalt, brick, or stone. 

The materials for the streets, fifteen thousand houses, 
palaces, towers, and churches were brought in boats 
from the land. The circumference of Venice is six 
and a half miles. Surrounding it, is a chain of strong 
forts. I ormerly, thrilling events occurred near these 
forts that are not now needed in defense. 

It was in the fifteenth century that Venice was im- 
mensely wealthy, flourishing, and at the height of her 
glory. At that time the population wa3 two hundred 
thousand. Now, it is less than one hundred and 
thirty thousand. Naturally, this being the case, 
there are many houses that are not occupied. 
Venice is the largest and perhaps the only city in the 
world that never erects a new building. 

Of plant and animal Hfe there is almost none. There 
are, of course, birds, because they can fly from land, 
and return or not as they please. There are vines and 
potted plants, but not a great many trees. There is 
not a single horse or cow in all the city. The largest 
animal is a dog. On the outside of a certain church, 
there are strange life sized decorations of ever so many 
different animals. Among them are sheep and camels. 



84 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 




THK RIALTO BRIDGE. 

Some people live and die in Venice without ever going 
far on the mainland — and so never see many animals. 
A circus is unknown in this city, yet there are theaters, 
one of which seats three thousand people. Children 
here swim like ducks. If a mother is afraid that her 
small boy will be drowned, she can sit at the front 
door and hold one end of a strap that is tied to him. 
In this way, he can paddle around and learn to swim 
in perfect safety. 

The sea water cannot be used for drinking and cook- 
ing because of the minerals it contains. In 1890, water 
was piped from the land. There are wells besides, 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 85 

where women may be seen drawing water. They 
carry it away in copper buckets hanging from a yoke 
on their shoulders. Two buckets are used for balance, 
although they are large and heavy. Here, as in many 
parts of the eastern hemisphere where water is to be 
carried, it is usually done by women and girls. Hard 
work it is, too. Boats come from the land laden with 
wood, charcoal, vegetables, fruits and wine. Fisher 
boats from the sea supply the fish markets. Some of 
the coal used is from the United States. 

We seldom see a stone mason or a carpenter, as 
there is little to do besides making repairs. In Venice 
there are factories where the finest lace is made, and 
others where beautifully colored glass in dainty shapes 
is moulded or blown. The Venetian lace and glass are 
celebrated throughout the world, as are also its carved 
wood and exquisite mosaics. 

SAINT MARK'S SQUARE. 

We leave the hotel by a side door and enter an out- 
side passage between high buildings. This passage or 
street is not over four feet in width. As a man with 
a wheel barrow approaches, we line up against a wall 
and flatten ourselves to make room for him to pass. 
Then we enter a lane or street bordered with shops 
In a few minutes, we pass under an archway and are 
at once in Saint Mark's Square. And this square is 
the open air drawing room of Venice. After sunset, 
the people congregate in large numbers. Some of the 
women wear fine lace upon their heads. There are 
no hats and bonnets to be seen. In front of the cafes, 
coffee, tea, and refreshing cold drinks are served. We 



86 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



sit here and listen to the orchestra. The three sides 
of the square are Hned with lovely shops which look as 
if they were in a single, solid building. They are filled 
with all sorts of dainty, exquisite things that are 
manufactured here, and are peculiar to the city. The 
windows are without a speck of dust and are so daz- 
zlingly illuminated by electricity that the whole square 




SCENE IN FRONT OF ST. MARK'S CHURCH, VENICE. 
Feeding the Pigeons. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



87 



is brilliantly lighted. It is the most beautiful open 
air drawing-room that anyone has ever seen, and prob- 
ably it will never again be equalled. Every evening 
we come here, although the orchestra plays but three 
evenings a week. 




VENETIAN LADIES. 



Across the way is the church of Saint Mark's. It is 
said that the bones of the apostle Mark were brought 
to Venice in the year 829 and that this church was 
built and dedicated to him. Inside, not only the 
walls, but the floor is of mosaic. There are five hun- 
dred pillars of choice marble with many magnificent 
decorations. Over the door on the outside, there are 
four spirited bronze horses. Probably few live horses 



88 A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

have ever traveled to such great distances as have 
these bronze ones. It is supposed that they were made 
by some great Greek sculptor, so long ago that no one 
knows to a certainty what his name was. At first, we 
hear of these horses as having stood on the triumphal 
arch of Nero in Rome. Later, they were moved to the 
trumphal arch of Trajan. Next they took a long sea 
voyage by sailing to Constantinople. In 1204 Doge 
Dandolo won a victory over the Turks. He at once 
transported the horses, not to their old home in Rome, 
but to Venice. They then came to a halt, for the time 
being, over the door where we now see them. In 1797 
Napoleon admired them so much that they had to 
come down and travel to Paris, and there for eighteen 
years they stood over another triumphal arch. Finally, 
they returned home, where since that time they have 
been standing in their old place. With distended 
nostrils, flowing maues, and fiery eyes, they paw the 
air as if impatient to start off on another trip. 

It was this same Doge Dandolo who laid siege to 
the Island of Candia or Crete. By means of informa- 
tion received through carrier pigeons, he succeeded in 
taking the fortress. The birds were then sent to 
Venice with news of victory. Until the close of the 
Republic in 1849, the pigeons were fed at the public 
expense. Since then, they have been dependent upon 
charity. There are so many of them that they darken 
the air as they fly in clouds around the square. They 
are so tame that when we feed them beans or peas, 
they alight on our shoulders and hop over our feet. 
These pigeons are one of the sights of Venice. Children, 
and even grown people, have their pictures taken with 
pigeons flying about them. 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 89 

Venice is the one ideal spot on the globe for gorgeous 
water carnivals. The gondolas, and other boats, are 
gayly decorated and hung with Chinese lanterns. 
Musicians play and sing as the procession winds around 
the curves of the Grand Canal. The palaces are brill- 
iantly illuminated. From windows hang rugs, tapes- 
tries and flags. And leaning over them to enjoy the 
scene below are the inmates of these palaces. The 
moonlight glow and the soft air in this mild climate 
makes the evening one of enchantment. Of the kind, 
it is the most beautiful sight imaginable. 

Gondoliers begin their work as young men and con- 
tinue until they are overtaken by old age. Daily they 
polish the little brass horses that hold the cords and 
tassels, also the tall steel jerro at the prow. When 
too old for the hard work of rowing, they become 
hookers. These men are at all of the landings. They 
hold a pole having an iron hook on one end, and with 
it, they steady a gondola as the passengers get in and 
out. For this service, they expect a small fee. It 
does not appear to us that their services are in the 
least needed. Until we know the history of these men, 
we suppose them to be beggars. 

Throughout Italy, we have had our pleasure marred 
every day by great numbers of beggars. We have 
not been in a single place where they have not found 
us. Many are taught to beg when small children, and 
follow it as a profession all their lives. Some are so 
successful that they have bank accounts. Numbers 
beg for want of work, and others do so on account of 
the helplessness of old age. 

They get up and appeal to every foreigner who goes in 



90 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 




GRAND CANAL. 



and out. One is at peace when gliding along in a gon-= 
dola. When we leave it to cross the Rialto, such a 
clamorous set of boys beset us that we hasten on. 
Still they pursue up and down the other side, so we es- 
cape by going on board the first littl'e steamer that 
appears. 

Unpleasant as it is to retreat before such a foe, it 
must have been exciting to be captured by brigands. 
In the mountain fastnesses of Italy, there are still ex- 
isting old castles that were their haunts and homes. 
These bold men watched narrow passes and desolafe 
places for prey. When travellers came along, they 
were seized, robbed, and carried off for ransom. Be- 



A. LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 91 

sides these bandits, there were organized bands of 
them in nearly every city of Itaty. They were called 
hravi, '^brave men/' and deserved their name because 
they had great courage. However, they were not 
good, for they robbed, and murdered for pay Al- 
though there is no capital punishment in Italy, these 
men were regarded as such wicked murderers, that 
when caught they were punished by the wheel. Ow- 
ing to the watchfulness of the police not many are 
left. Still, they infest Sicily and are quick in using 
the small pointed dagger. 

From one September until the next, the gondolier's 
bank is in operation. This is for the benefit of them- 
selves and their friends. The number of members is 
seldom more than thirty. There are four officers, the 
manager, cashier, secretary, and a man to collect fines, 
at which he is not strict. In the beginning, every 
member makes a deposit of ten liras, a lira being 
about twenty cents. During the year, he must deposit 
one lira every week. Shotild he fail to do this he 
must pay a fine of two cents. Each member must 
borrow from the bank during the year not less than 
one hundred and twenty liras. This may be drawn at 
any time and in small sums. Loans are made to mem- 
bers only. The bank is of great benefit on account of 
the small sums loaned and for the reason that it makes 
the members thrifty. The gondoliers have two great 
dinners — one at the carnival time, and the other when 
the bank closes at the end of the year. Then another 
bank is organized. 

When a boy becomes a man, one of the first things 
he does is to become engaged to be married Should 



92 A IJTTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 

the girl change her mind by deciding not to marry him, 
she must return all the rings and presents he has given 
her. North of Venice is the province of Undine 
where the custom is a little different. If the girl breaks 
an engagement, she returns the man^s presents, pays 
him for the time spent in courting her, and gives him 
a new pair of shoes. Weddings are usually on Sun- 
days, as other days are not thought suitable. The 
superstitious ones say that if you marry on Monday 
you will become insane. Tuesday brings suffering, 
and on Thursday the witches comb their hair. There 
is nothing against Saturday, which is the wedding day 
for widows. 

A popular food in Italy is chopped mutton which 
has been boiled for two hours. Into the broth, corn 
meal is sifted and cooked. When done, the mixture is 
poured out and cut with a string or knife. This is a 
bread and is called polenta. There are many kinds of 
bread in Italy and we have found all of them good. 
We have never tasted any that was sour. Agondoher 
and his wife live upon a lira and a half a day. Their 
food is always the same. For breakfast they have 
bread and coffee, and at noon polenta and fish. In 
the evening they eat the cold scraps left over during 
the day with a soup of shell-fish. In season, they have 
artichokes, and on Sunday only can they afford to 
indulge in meat. Garlic and onions are used all over 
Italy. The Italians are small eaters, and, although 
they make much wine, they are temperate. 

When the first baby comes the groomsman sends 
the mother a box containing a pound of meat, a fowl 
and two eggs. When the little one is taken to church 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 93 

for baptism the event is a great one. Its dress is 
swaddling bands of white hnen. These are wound 
around it, covering the feet and body to the neck. 
Around the neck is a charm. All over the bands 
covering the feet there are pinned silver and other 
metal charms, half moons and hearts. The baby is 
placed on a long tray under a glass case. Along the 
sides are blue silk curtains. Then it is carried to 
church. The name John or Mary is always given by 
the church. The god-father chooses a second name, 
and if a third one is wanted the parents decide what it 
is to be. Many women are so ignorant as to the care 
of babies that in some instances they lose the first 
three or four before learning how to take care of them. 
If we ask a gondolier how many children he has he 
may tell us eight — when he has four only. This is 
because he has counted in the little ones who have died. 

Our time has been so short that we have tried to 
spend it to the greatest advantage. Although we 
have not visited a great number of cities, we have 
seen every type of Italian life. 

We have visited Naples the metropolis, Rome the 
capital, Florence the most beautiful, and Venice the 
most unique city, not only of Italy but of the world. 
If time would permit we would visit Italy's chief 
ports — Genoa, Leghorn, Messina and Palermo. 

There we would see vessels laden with silk, wine, 
olive oil, oranges, coral, hemp, flax, sulphur, marble, 
macaroni, bonnet materials, drugs, and chemicals. 
These vessels are bound for other countries — some of 
them for our own homes perhaps. As they leave they 
meet other vessels coming into port bringing to Italy 



94 



A LITTLE JOURNEY TO ITALY. 



cotton, kerosene, meats, tobacco and lumber, for which 
the ItaHans must send to other countries. 

We find that silk is the principal export of Italy 
and that this is the leading silk producing country of 
Europe. Italy also leads in the production of olive 
oil. Thus we see that the olive oil and mulberry are 
important trees in Italy, the mulberry because it 
furnishes food for the silk worm, and the olive for its oil. 

The mountain slopes are covered with chestnut for- 
ests which yield an important part of the food of the 
poorer people. The grape is cultivated too, and great 
quantities of wine made. 

The manufactures of Italy are not as important as 
those of other great nations of Europe. The cloth 
that is manufactured is woven on hand looms and 
these are usually in the cottages of the people. 

Let us go to Saint Mark's Square for a final look at 
Venice. The clock says it is twenty-seven minutes 
past sixteen o'clock. With a sigh we turn towards 
the gondola that is to take us to the train. In the 
morning we are to be beyond the border of beautiful 
Italy and the people we have learned to love. We 
have enjoyed every minute more than can be expressed. 





TEACHER'S SUPPLEMENT. 



A Little Journey to Italy. 

The class or travel club has now completed the study of Italy, 
and is ready for a review. In order to make this interesting and 
impress the lessons learned, let the work be summed up in the form 
of an entertainment called 

AN AFTERNOON OR EVENING IN ITALY. 

For this afternoon in Italy invitations may be written by the 
pupils, or mimeographed or hektographed and carried to friends and 
parents. 

If given as an evening entertainment and illustrated by stereopti- 
con views, handbills may be printed and circulated at least a week 
beforehand. The following form may be used: 

SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT. 

A Trip to Italy for Fifteen Cents. 

You are invited by the pupils of the school (or the 

members of the Travel Class or Club) to spend an evening (or after- 
noon) in Italy. 

The party starts promptly at 1:30 P. M. (or 8 P. M.), 

the . Those desiring to take this trip should secure tickets be- 
fore the day of departure, as the party is limited. Guides are fur- 
nished free. 

The proceeds of this entertainment are to be used in the purchase 
of a library and pictures and steropticon views for the school. 

SUGGESTIONS. 

The exercises should be conducted and the talks given by the 
pupils themselves. Some topic should be selected by each pupil, or 
assigned to him, and with this topic he should become thoroughly 
familiar. 



96 teacher's supplement. 

These will prove a ver}' great attraction to both pupils and pa- 
rents, and should be secured if possible. The lantern with oil lamp 
may be easily operated by the teacher, while the pupils give the 
descriptions of the pictures or give talks about the countrj'. 

The lanterns and slides may be rented for the evening or after- 
noon at reasonable rates and the cost covered by an admission fee 
of from ten to twenty-five cents. 

Geographies, books of travel, magazine articles and newspapers 
should be consulted until each pupil has his subject well in hand. 
He should also, where possible, secure photographs, pictures or ob- 
jects with vv^hich to illustrate his talk. At its close these should be 
placed upon a table, or the chalk tray, that visitors may examine 
them more closely. 

If the entertainment is given in the evening, the teacher may be 
able to use stereopticon views. 

A leader or guide may be appointed to make the introductory re- 
marks, and to announce the numbers of the programme. 

Other pupils speak of the journey to Italy, the people, industries, 
plant and animal life, scenery and special features of the country. 

ROOn DECORATIONS. 

Too many flower decorations cannot' be used. The brighter the 
flowers, the better. Italian flags may be draped or arranged about 
the pictures of King Victor, Emmanuel III, and of Helene, the new 
queen, of the late King Humbert and his wife Queen Margherita. 
The photograph of the Pope and of the Italian patriot, G-aribaldi, 
may be placed in Florentine frames borrowed for the day. Pictures 
of other famous Italian personages may be pinned up about the 
room. Pictures of Raphael, Michael Angelo, Correggio and other 
artists and copies of their work way be shown. A list of Perry 
pictures is given elsewhere that selections may be made for this pur- 
pose. If larger pictures are desired, remove these from the Stoddard 
book of views, or order the mounted cuts, from this book. 

Borrow or rent a number of large plaster casts and pieces of marble 
statuary and place about the room. At the close of the exercises 
pupils may vote for the most beautiful or interesting piece in the 
collection and a copy be purchased with school money. This piece 



SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT. 97 

of statuary may be kept in the school room as a memento of the 
''Afternoon in Sunny Italy." 

Italian vendors of these casts who live in or near cities make a 
practice of visiting schools at stated intervals. Where this is the 
case it will be an easy matter to secure the loan of a number of casts 
or rent them, and invite the vendor himself to spend a part of the 
afternoon in the school room. At the close of the exercises he might 
be allowed to exhibit his basket of wares in order that pupils who 
desire, may purchase a memento of the occasion. Pretty pieces 
may often be bought for ten, fifteen and twenty-five cents. The 
plaster of paris vendor, with his basket on his arm, may figure as one 
of the tableaux on the programme. 

If by any possible chance an Italian hand organ man might be 
secured for the latter part of the afternoon the success of the enter- 
tainment would be complete, from the younger pupils' point of view. 
This also might easily be arranged where the school is located in a 
large city. 

The industries of Italy may be shown by a display of articles of 
Italian workmanship. Carved wood is obtained from Siena : coral 
from Naples; silver filagree work from G-enoa; candied fruit and 
straw hats from Leghorn ; gilded woodwork and mosaics from Flor- 
ence; glass majolicas and porcelain from Venice: marble from Car- 
rara ; sulphur from the Island of Sicily ; olives, pickled and preserved, 
and macaroni, may also be given a place in this exhibit. In the 
stores, colored clay, wax or marble figures may be found, which are 
faithful miniature reproductions of the people engaged in various 
occupations in Italy. These might also be secured for the curio 
table. 

A representation of the Italian out of door cafe may be secured 
by using sapling and corn stalks. At a table within, lemonade and 
orangeade may be served : at another booth serve water melon, the 
favorite melon of Italy, musk melon and fruits. A third booth may 
be devoted to macaroni and olives. 

In describing the homes, miniature houses, constructed on the 
sand table, may be shown. In speaking of the costumes or clothing 
of the people, show the Roman shawl or scarf, white head dresses, 
silk aprons and Tuscan braids of the women. Call attention to the 



98 teacher's supplement. 

tall, peaked hats of the men — the velvet jackets and knee trousers, 
leather gaiters strapped to the knee, and white goat skin leggins. 

In speaking of the classes of people show dolls dressed to represent 
the peasant, shepherd, soldier, sailor, the middle class and the 
higher class. 

COSTUMES. 

For Italian children who take part in the programme or exercises. 

ITALIAN BOY. 

White cotton or woolen waist or shirt, with turn down collar open 
at the neck; knee-pants, light colored or white stockings, low shoes; 
rather small felt crush-hat. Dark complexion, dark eyes and hair. 

ITALIAN GIRL. 

White waist cut square in the neck, or ordinary white shirt waist, 
unstarched, turned low in the neck, the cuffs being turned under to 
form narrow bands ; short skirt of bright blue, red or yellow ; a red 
or blue corsage, having bands of bright blue ribben over the 
shoulders. A handkerchief with gay border may be folded corner- 
wise and laid about the neck. This will add much to the costume. 

White or black apron, trimmed, if desired, with bright colored 
ribbons or strips of colored cambric. The apron, as though too long 
for the wearer, is rolled a little before being tied ; black or white 
stockings and ordinary shoes and slippers. Head draper}^ of blue, 
red, yellow and white striped wool or silk or cotton goods. The 
head-dress may be made of a strip of white muslin six or eight inches 
wide and a foot long. It may be trimmed with bands of bright rib- 
bon. A part of it should be folded flat on top of the head, the rest 
of the muslin hanging down back. It must be pinned to the hair. 
A bit of stiff paper or pasteboard can be used to make the flat sur- 
face on top of the head. A necklace of gold beads may be worn, 
and. knitted blue stockings and low cloth shoes. Brunnettes, with 
dark eyes and hair, should be selected to take the part. Fruit may 
be carried in the hand. 

PEASANT GIRL. 

Skirt of brown wool, trimmed with blue velvet. Blue velvet 
bodice trimmed with silver. White chemisette with sleeves finished 



SCHOOL ENTERTAINMENT. 99 

with blue and silver braid. Apron and head-dress of fancy striped 
goods. Gold neck and ear ornaments. Fancy stockings and leather 
shoes. Real or imitation tambourines. 

ROMAN FLOWER GIRL. 

Gown of white material trimmed with gay border of figured or 
printed goods. Silk sash about the waist, Roman gold necklet and 
armlet; hair flowing and covered at the crown with a pretty kerchief - 
cap. Basket of real or artificial flowers. 

PROGRAMME. 

1. Introductory Remarks by Guide. 

2. The Voyage and Arrival at Naples. 

3. Home and Street Life in Naples. 

4. Neapolitan Folk Song. 

5. Tableau, ' 'Italian Children.'* 

6. Sorrento. 

7. Copri and Its Grottoes. 

8. Vesuvius. 

9 Reciation, • -Drifting." 

10. Pompeii. 

11. Italian Song. 

12. Street Scenes of Rome. 

13. Fountains and Famous Buildings. 

14. Education and Religion of [taly. 

15. The Pope and St. Peter's. 

16. Italian Hj'mn. 

17. Holidays and Festivals. 

18. Florence. 

19. Italian Artists, — Raphael and Michael Angelo. 

20. Tableau, "The Plaster of Paris Man or Vendor." 

21. Song, "Italy." 

22. Pisa. 

23. "Venice, " a Recitation. 

24. Venice. 

25. Sti Mark's and the Pigeons. 

26. Song, "Beautiful Venice." 

27. The Gondaliers of Venice. 

L.ofC. .. ::- 



100 TEACHER^ S SUPPLEMENT. 

28. The Industries of Italy. 

29. The Plant Life of Italy— the Olive and Mulberry. 

„,, r» i. o ( "The Carnival of Venice" 

30. Boat Songs I and Santa Lucia. 

31. Genoa. 

32. The Boyhood of Columbus. 

33. Sicily. 

34. The Italian Patriot Graribaldi. 

35. Music "Italian" National Hymn. 

POEMS FOR STUDY AND RECITATION. 

From "Poems of Places," compiled by Longfellow, Vol XL; 
"Farewell to Italy, " Anna Jameson; "Amalfii," Longfellow; "Old 
Pictures in Florence," Browning; "Naples,'' Samuel Rogers; "Pi- 
sa," Thomas Rogers, Vol. XII.; "The City of My Love," J. U. 
Howe; "Horatius at the Bridge," Macaulay; "The Roman Carni- 
val," Charles Cranch. 

STORIES. 

"How Romans Lived," "The Roman Republic," "Cincinnatus, " 
"The Roman Father," "The Death of Caesar," "Archimedes," all 
in "Stories of Olden Times," by James Johonnot. 

SONGS. 

"Italy," Songs of Life and Nature; "Italian Song," from Choice 
Songs; Italian Hymn, Songs of the Nation; "Beautiful Venice, " 
Franklin Square Song Book No. 2; "Neapolitan Folk Song," Na 
tional School Library of Song No. 1; A Prisoner's Song, "To a 
Robin," from National School Library of Song; Boat Songs: "The 
Carnival of Venice," and "Santa Lucia;" Italian National Hymn (in 
Little Journey to Italy). 

CLASS WORK. 

Things to find out: What and where is the "Eternal City?" the 
"Queen of Cities?" the "City of Temples?" the "Mistress of the 
World?" the "Granary of Europe?" the "Bride of the Sea?" 

What and where are "The Vatican?" the "Coliseum?" "Pan- 
theon?" "Bridge of Sighs?" "Pisa?" 

.Of what do the Italian people make flour? What is macaroni? 



NATIONAL HYMN OF ITALY. 




1. All for-ward to battle! the trumpets are cry-ing; All forward! all 

2. All for-ward for Freedom! in ter - ri - ble splendor She comes to the 



i 



^zn=^, 



-^ 



=^=^^^^ 



forward! our old flag is fly -ing; When Lib- er - ty calls us we 
loy - al who die to de - fend her; Her stars and stripes o'er the 



i 



^==i=i 



;^ 



^?^ 



lin - ger no long - er; Reb- els, come on! tho' a thousand to 

wild wave of bat - tie Shall float in the heavens to wel -come us 




li 



Lib - er - ty! Lib - er - ty! deathless and glo - ri - ous, 
All for-ward to glo - ry! tho' life-blood is pouring. Where 



-h-^- 



^==g^^#^ 



Un - der thy ban- ner thy sons are vie - to - rious, Free souls are 
bright swords are flash - ing, and can - nons are roar - ing; Wel-come to 



fe 






val - iant, and strong arms are stronger, God shall go with us, and 
death in the bul - lets' quick rat-tie, Fight - ing or fall - ing shall 



i 



qzin^i 



bat - tie 
free-dom 



be won. 
be won. 



Hurrah 
Hur-rah 



igi 



for tlie ban- ner! Hur-rah for the 
for the ban- ner! Hur-rah for the 



t^^^d^^^. 



^^m 



ban-ner! Hur-rah for our bjg» • ner, the flag of the free! 



102 teacher's supplement. 

A^ermicelli? What city in Italy has no horses or cows? What are 
corn paniles? Pumice? How are they used? 

Who was Romulus? Pompey? Julius Caesar? Augustus? Nero? 
Titus? Constantine? 

What do you know of Roman mythology? of the manners and 
customs of the Romans? of the chariot races? of the catacombs? 
of the gladiators? Read "The Destruction of Pompeii,'" by Charles 
Kingsley, and Bulwer Lytton, in Baldwin's Fifth Reader; also por- 
tions of "BenHur, '' by Lew Wallace, which gives fine descriptions 
of Roman life; -'A Climb up Mount Vesuvius,", and '*The Vene- 
tian Gondola," in "By Land and Sea," (Perry Mason & Co.); 
"Stories of Rome,'' in "Stories of the Olden Time, " by James Johon- 
not; "Stories of Old Rome," by Mara L. Pratt, and stories from 
the "Last Days of Pompeii, " by Bulwer. 

An interesting article on Thanksgiving in Italy may be found in 
the November '91 Primary Education. Articles on Italian artists — 
Raphael and Michel Angelo, and copies of their pictures may be 
found in December and January Intermediate Plan Books. 

SICILY AND SULPHUR. 

The beautiful island of Sicily belongs to the kingdom of Italy. 
It is . separated from the mainland only by the narrow straits of 
Messina. Sicily is a little world by itself . It is not like Italy or 
any other country. Its people are not like any other people. 

Visitors in Sicily are few and far between. It is almost an un- 
known country to travellers from the United States. The fear of 
brigands has kept people iiwa}^, and only recently has this danger 
been removed. It has not been many years since it required 40,- 
000 soldiers to ke^p the island in order. Now, no more soldiers are 
needed than in any other part of Ital3\ 
_ In the eastern part of the island is an active volcano,. Mount 
Etna. Not many months ago Mount Etna suddenl^^ l)elched forth 
a great cloud of smoke and gas. The smoke took the form of a 
tree. It rose 16,000 feet above the top of the volcano, which is its- 
self nearly 11,000 feet high. 

It was a grand sight. People thronged to see it and watched it 
with pale, troubled faces, fearing another eruption. They remem- 



CLASS WORK. 103 

bered that a smoke cloud hung over Vesuvius while Pompeii was be- 
ing destroyed. But the cloud soon passed away and with it their 
fears for the safety of the island. 

This huge volcano is the world's great source of supply for sul- 
phur. The rocks and soil are largely of volcanic origin and the sul- 
phur mines in some places penetrate deep in the earth. 

A common ' sight is a train of freight cars loaded with bars of 
yellow sulphur. Sicily produces about 92 per cent of all the sul- 
phur used in the world. More than 200,000 men are employed in 
this industry. Good wages are paid these men and it is owing to 
this that there is less poverty on the island than on the mainland. 

The largest city on the island is Palermo, on the Bay of Palermo. 
As the traveller leaves the quay and drives to the hotel a strange 
sight meets his eye. The streets are thronged with the most cur- 
ious carts ever beheld by mortal eye. Now the cart is simply a 
box perched upon very high wheels. It is the decoration that as- 
tonishes one. The front, sides, back, inside and outside, wheels, 
pole, in fact every part of the cart is decorated with paintings. 

The carts, carrying all kinds of merchandise, form a moving 
picture gallery. If one watches them carefully he may learn many 
a lesson in the history of the country for the stories of the nations- 
who have fought for Sicily and conquered and occupied it at differ- 
ent periods are told in these pictures. 

These gaily painted carts are drawn by splendidly decorated horses 
or donkeys that seem entirely too small for their loads. But these 
tiny animals are always well fed and cared for. It is said to be the 
ambition of every Sicilian to own a donkey and cart, if nothing more. 

DRIFTING. 

My soul today, 

Is far away, 
Sailing the Yesuvian Bay ; 

My winged boat 

A bird afloat, 
Swings round the purple peaks remote ; 

Far, vague and dim, 
The mountains swim ; 



104 TEACHER^S SUPPLEMENT. 

While on Vesuvius" s misty brim, 

With outstretched hands, 

The gray smoke stands 
O'erlooking the volcanic lands. 

Here Ischia smiles 

O'er liquid miles; 
And yonder, bluest of the isles, 

Calm Capri waits. 

Her sapphire gates. 
Beguiling to her bright estates. 

With dreamful eyes 

My spirit lies 
Where summer sinojs and never dies; 

O'erveiled with vines. 

She glows and shines 
Among her future oil and wines. 

The fisher's child. 

With tresses wild, 
Unto the smooth, bright sand beguiled. 

With glowing lips 

Sings as she skips. 
Or gazes at the far-off ships. 

Yon deep bark goes 

Where traffic blows, 
From lands of sun, to lands of snow ; 

This happier one, 

Its course is run 
From lands 6f snow to lands of sun. 

Buchanan Read. 

VENICE. 

There is a glorious city in the sea, 

The sea is in the broad, the narrow streets, 

Ebbing and flowing; and the salt sea-weed 

Clings to the marble of her palaces. 

No track of men, no footsteps to and fro 



CLASS WORK. 105 

Lead to her gates. The path lies over the sea 

Invisible, and from the land we went, 

As to a floating city — steering in, 

And gliding up her streets as in a dream 

So smoothly, silently — by many a dome 

Masque-like, and many a stately portico 

The statues ranged along an azure sky 

By many a pile in more than Eastern pride 

Of old the residence of merchant kings ; 

The fronts of some, though Time had shattered them 

Still glowing with the richest hues of art, 

As though the wealth within them had run o'er. 

From ^^ Venice'' by Samuel Rogers. 

ITEMS OF INTEREST. 

Italy is a monarchy, but within its boarders is a tiny republic 
and town called San Marino. This republic contains twenty-two 
square miles. The town is surrounded by a wall. In the town is 
a hermitage founded hundreds of years ago by a hermit called 
Marinus. San Marano has always been independent. 

A STORY OF VENICE. 

Perhaps you have wondered why Venice was built on little 
islands in the sea when there was plenty of room for cities on the 
main land of Italy. This is the way it came about. Hundreds of 
years ago news came to the people of the city Aquileia, in the north- 
ern part of Italy, that men were coming to plunder and burn their 
city. 

The people of the city packed up their treasures and what goods 
they could carry and fled away to the sea. There they found some 
fishermen and a few wealthy people, with comfortable homes, built 
on the marshes and lagoons. 

The fugitives decided to remain at this place, and built themselves 
homes ; after a time others came, and Venice grew to be a wealthy 
and powerful city. 

HOW ITALIANS KEEP OFF HAIL. 

In the northern part of Italy and in Styria are great vineyards. 
Sometimes when the fruit is just forming, or hanging in ripening 



106 teacher's supplement. 

clusters, terrific hailstorms sweep over these vineyards, pelting the 
precious fruit until it falls off or dies. 

The people watch these crops with great anxiety, for a failure in 
this crop means that many must go hungry. A few years ago a 
man named Moritz Stiger thought of a way of helping these people 
to protect their vinej-ards. He invented a small cannon which 
could be charged with powder and fired into the clouds. 

Perhaps you wonder what good that could do. Well you know 
that in order to form hail the rain drops must first freeze, then thaw 
a little, then freeze again. 

The air driven suddenlj- in among the water drops drives them 
apart and prevents their forming into hail. Since this discovery, 
breech loading rapid firing guns are placed at intervals in certain 
neighborhoods and discharged whenever threatening clouds over- 
hang the vineyards. 

THE DONKEY IN NAPLES. 

' 'The manner in which the people of Naples are supplied with 
food is most amazing to a stranger. The markets are peripatetic, 
and donkeys are the motive power. Indeed without the donkey it 
seems as if the whole business of living in Naples would be brought 
to a standstill. Articles of every description are conveyed from 
house to house by him. 

He is loaded with wine and water, for in Naples the drinking 
water is all procured from certain fountains, and sold by carriers ; 
he carries bushels of vegetables piled in panniers, and spread upon 
shallow baskets, until nothing but his nose and tail are visible; and 
he draws loads piled on primitive carts, which, whatever their 
weight may be, are at least a dozen times his own bulk. 

In his leisure moments the donkey takes his master and fre- 
quently two or three members of the famil}^ for a ride upon his 
back. The Neapolitan horses are of such a diminutive size that the 
drivers standing beside them tower above them." — From Neapoli- 
tan sketches in the Bay View Magazine. 

OUR CALENDAR. 

We are indebted to Romulus, the founder of Rome, for our Calen. 
dar. Romulus divided the year into ten months, or 304 days. The 



CLASS WORK. 107 

next king of Rome added January and February to the calendar 
first made, making 355 days: This made the civil year about ten 
and one-fourth days shorter than the solar year, and produced con- 
fusion in the recurrences of the seasons and in the records of his- 
tory. 

During the time of Julius Caesar, a later ruler, the civil year was 
conformed to the solar by making the number of days 365. The 
annual excess of the solar year, which amounted to one day in four 
years, was disposed of by making every fourth year contain 366 
days. The extra day was added to February. This last arrange- 
ment was called the Julian Calendar. 

After this calendar had been in use many years it was found to 
be not exactly correct, and Pope G-regory XIII. invited to Rome 
'many noted mathematicans and astronomers to remedy the error 
made. The matter was considered for years and it was finally de- 
cided that every fourth 3^ear should be a leap year, but that every 
hundredth year for three successive centuries should be common 
years, and the fourth hundredth should be a leap year. This was 
called the Gregorian Calendar. 

riACARONI. 

A million boxes of Italian macaroni are imported by the United 
States, and through an article of universal consumption, many may 
not know its ingredients and processes of manufacture. Macanoni 
is made of hard red wheat from the Black Sea, mixed with Italian 
wheat, raised on the plains around Foggia. This is ground, the 
bran and husks are removed, and the fiour is then kneeded in hot 
water, to the consistency of dough. This, is neit put into vertical 
cylinders, the bottoms of which are perforated, and the dough is 
passed through these holes. It comes out below in long pipes, and 
is cut off in lengths of three feet, and hung on canes in the sun to 
dry. — From the bay view magazine. 

OLIVE OIL. 

The oil of the olive tree is a very important Italian product. It is 
used as a substitute for butter in the south, and partly supplies the 
place of milk, which is little used. It is also used in home manu- 
factures and is exported in large quantities. 



108 TEACHER^ S SUPPLEMENT. 

THE PIGEONS OF ST. flARK'S. 

"You have heard something of the pigeons of St. Marks, Tf you 
want toknOw all about them, read Hawthorne's story of "The Marble 
Faun," which tells how Hilda used to some down from her tower to 
feed them every morning, and there are plenty of Hildas about every 
day. They number thousands. They have their nests in the cor- 
nices, crevices and other cozy places about the roof of the cathed- 
ral, the Doge's Palaee and other buildings that surround the piazza, 
and are considered sacred by the people of Venice. The story goes 
that 900 years ago, when Admiral Dandolo captured Candia, he sent 
the news of his victory to Venice by means of carrier pigoons, and the 
grand council, who had a good deal of sentiment with all their cruelty, 
passed a resolution tendering those birds and their descendants for- 
ever the hospitality of the city. All these years thej^ have been fed 
at public expense. At two o'clock every day a man appears from 
some unknown quarter with a basket of corn and scatters it liberally 
upon the pavement, as if he was sowing it in a field. Then there is 
a tremendous fluttering — the air is dark with wings. The birds 
know when to expect him, and swarm down from every direction as 
the clock in the curious old belfry strikes the hour. But this cere- 
mony is scarcely necessary, becnuse peddlers are always around to 
sell to the tourists and other people little cornucopias with corn, and 
the birds are consequently overfed. They are so tame that they 
perch upon your hat or shoulder or hand, for nothing is ever allowed 
to disturb them, and I fear to think what would happen to anyone 
who dared to kill one of them. '' — Sel. 

REFERENCE BOOKS. 



1. 


Walks in Rome, 


A. 


J. C. Hare. 


2 


Walks in Florence, 




( ( 


3. 


Venice, 




<< 


4. 


Days near Rome 




( ( 


5. 


Life on the Lagoons, 




HaratioF. Brown. 


6. 

7. 


Venice 
Venetian Studies 




Horatio F. Brown 


8. 


Venice 




Hon. Alethea Wiel 


9. 


Southern Italy 


Baedeker. 



CLASS WORK. 



109 



10. 

11. 

12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 
23. 
24. 



Central Italy, Baedeker 

Northern Italy, '' 

Roba Di Roma 

Romola 

The Makers of Florence, 

The Makers of Venice 



W. W. Story 
George Eliot 
Mrs. Oliphant. 

Mrs. Oliphant 



The Story of Florence, Edmund Gardner. 



W. D. Howells 
W. D. Howells. 
Hopkinson Smith. 

Harriet Beecher Stowe 
Hans Christian Anderson. 
Hawthorne. 
Rome and the Campagna Burns 

The Boy Travellers in Southern Europe, Thomas W. Knox. 

PERRY PICTURES FOR ITALY. 



Venetian Life 
Italian Journeys, 
Gondola Days, 
Agnes of Sorrento 
The Improvisatore, 
The Marble Faun, 



Numbers are given for the convenience of teachers who have not 
catalogues from which to order. 

AssisL 

1654. Church of St. Francis. 1655. Door, Church of St. Francis. 



Baiae. 

1656. Temple of Diana. 1659. 

1657. Temple of Venus. 

Florence. 

1661. Panaroma. 1672. 

1662. Baptistery. 1673. 

1663. Bronze Doors, 1674. 

1664. Cathedral. 1676. 

1666. House of Michelangelo. 1681. 

1665. Door, Campanile. 1685. 

1667. National Museum. 1686. 

1668. Courtyard. 1688. 

1669. Pitti Palace. 1689. 

1670. Courtyard, Palazzo Vecchio. 1692. 

1671. Cathedral and Campanile. 1693. 



Blue Grotto, Capri. 



Campanile. 
Loggia Del Lanzi. 
Pieta, Baptistery. 
Panorama, Genoa. 
Panorama, Messina. 
Cathedral, Milan. 
Interior of Cathedral, Milan 
Window, " '' 

Aisle " " 

Hall of Bronzes, Naples. 
Well. 



IIU 


TEACHER'S 


SUPPLEMENT. 


1695. 


Naples. 


1721. 


Pulpit Pisa 


1698. 


Cathedral, Orvieto. 


1722. 


Doors " 


1699. 


Facade ' ' 


1723. 


Font. Baptistery f' 


1700. 


Entrance ' ' 


1726. 


Panorama, Pompeii. 


1701. 


Door at Left '^ 


1727. 


Near Italy, " 


1702. 


Door at Right - ' 


1728. 


Temple of Jupiter, Italy. 


1706. 


Basilica, Paestum. 


1731. 


San Apollinare in Classe, 


1707. 


Temple of Ceres. 




Ravenna. 


1711. 


Palazzo Publico Perugia. 


1732. 


San Yitale, Ravenna. 


1712. 


Entrance ' - 


1733. 


Interior, ' > 


1715. 


Cathedral, Baptister}' and 


1734. 


San Apollinare Nuovo, 




Leaning Tower, Pisa. 




Ravenna. 


1716. 


Cathedral, Pisa. 


1735. 


Mausoleum of Theodoric, 


1716. 


Doors, . ' ^ 




Ravenna. 


1718. 


Leaning Tower, <' 


1736. 


Palace of Theodoric, Ra- 


1719. 


Campo Santo " 




venna. 


1720. 


Baptistery ' ' 


1737. 


Tomb of Dante, Ravenna. 




Rome. 




1741. 


Panorama. 


1760. 


Church of San Pietro. 


1742. 


Aqueduct of Claudian. 


1761. 


Monument to Pope Julius 


1743. 


Appian Wa}^ 




III. 


1744. 


Arch of Constantine. 


1763. 


Coliseum. 


1745. 


Arch of Septimus Sever us. 


1764. 


Near View. 


1746. 


Arch of Titus. 


1765. 


Interior. 


1747. 


Triumph of Titus. 


1766. 


Forum. 


1748. 


Spoils of Jerusalem. 


1767. 


Hilda's Tower. 


1749. 


Piazza St. Peters. 


1768. 


Houses of Rienzi. 


1750. 


St. Peters. 


1769. 


House of St. Paul. 


1751. 


Interior. 


1770. 


Mosaics. Church of St. Mary. 


1752. 


Interior. 


1771. 


Palace of Caligula. 


1753, 


Door. 


1772. 


Palace of the Caesars. 


1754. 


Main Nave, 


1773. 


Palazzo Quirinale. 


1755. 


Capitol. 


1774. 


Pantheon. 


1756. 


Statue of Marcus Aurelius. 


1775. 


Porta dell Papalo. 


1757. 


Bridge and Castle of St, 


■ 1776. 


Tarpeiau Rock. 




Angelo. 


1777= 


Temple of Minerva. 


1758. 


Bridge and Castle with St. 


1778. 


Vatican. 




Peters. 


1779. 


Loggia of Raphael, 



CLASS WORK. 



Ill 



Sistine Chapel. 
Baths of Caracalla. 
Basilica of Constantine. 
Basilica with Via Sacra. 
Basilica of Constantine. 
Basilica of St. John. 
Facade St. Pauls. 
San Paolo. 
Palazzo Barghese. 



1791. Cathedral Siena. 

1792. Facade '' 

1793. Interior. 

1791. Palazzo Publico. 

1795. (a) Canal, Tarcello. . 

1795. (b) Cathedral and Baptistrey 

1795. (c) Baptister3\ 

1797. Raphael'sBirthplace, Urbino 

1799. Portal of Cathedral Verona. 



Venice. 



Panorama. 


1819. 


St. Mark's. 


1820. 


Facade and South Side 




Main Entrance. 


1821. 


Mosaic, Main Door. 


1822. 


Mosaic, Vestibule. 


1823. 


Interior. 


1824. 


Interior atLeft. 


1425. 


Bronze Horses. 


1826. 


Church and Campanile. 


1827. 


Corner of Churchyard. 


1828. 


Mole and Palace of the 


1829. 


Doges. 


1830. 


Mole from San G-eorgio. 


1831. 


Column with Lion of St. 


1832. 


Mark. 


1835. 


Bridge of Sighs. 




Bridge of Sighs and Palace. 


1836. 


Palace of the Doges. 


1837. 


Two Facades. 


1838. 



Porte Delia Carta. 
Statues from Porte Delia 

Carta. 
Adam, Statue. 
Eve, Statue. 
Bronze Well. 
Griant's Staircase. 
Grand Canal. 
Canal and Eialto. 
San G-eorgio Magzeore. 
Lion at Right Arsenal. 
Lion at Left Arsenal. 
Calleoni Monument. 
Marble Well. 
Interior Cathedral. 
Facade, Palace of the 

Doges. 
Palace and Bridge of Paglia. 
Hall of Grand Council. 
Bronze Front Palace. 



]M> 



\0O'.i' 



MAR. 6 1902 

PRONOUNCING VOCABULARY, 



Acqua Paola a-kwa pii'-G-la 

Michael Angelo me-ka-el an'-ja-lo 

Bef ana ba-fa'-na 

bocce bo'-cha 

Campagna kam-pan'-ya 

Campanile kam-pa.-ne'-la 

Capri ka'-pre 

Dante dan'-ta 

ferro fgr'-ro 

G-alileo ga-le-la'-o 

gondola gon'-do-la 

pallone pal-lo'-na 

morro m6r'-o 

polenta po-lan'-ta 

pillotta pe-lot'-tii 

Pisa p6'-za 

Pitti pit'-te 

Pompeii p5m-pa'-ye 

pronte pron'-ta 

Psyche . . . . , si'-ka 

Raphael raf '-a-el 

ruzzola root-zo'-lii 

Savonarola sa-vo-na-ro'-la 

Ufizzi . , oo-f et-se 



Volume V JANUARY, 1902 

Subacrlption $1.50 p«r Year 



No. 5 



M THE/ i^ 

PI^AN BOOK 




ITTLi/ JOURNErY 

TO 

I T A L yt 



MARIAN M. GEORGE, Editor. ^ '# 
# f A. FLANAGAN CO.,' Publishers 




Issued; Monthly,' except July and August, 



A LIBRflRT <«■ TRAVEL 

Cloth Bound Volumes— Little Journeys to Every Land 



BY Marian M. George 



J - 



Do not fail to include These BooKa in Your Order for 
Library Books. These make Handsome, ValusJsle Books 
for Etvery Library. 

The following may be had bound in cloth covers: 

Cuba and Puerto Rico. 

160 pages, 7^ x 5>^ inches, cloth. 60 illustrations, hand- 
some binding. 50 cents. 

Hawaii and the Philippines. 

176 pages, 7>i x 5j^ inches, cloth. Crater of Kilauea in 
colors. 78 illustrations. 50 cents. 

China and Japan. 

178 pages. 74 illustrations. Flags in colors. 50 cents. 

Mexico and Central America. 

160 pages. Colored Maps. 65 illustrations. 50 cents. 

Ala3Ka and Canada. 

174 pages. Colored Maps. 74 illustrations. 50 cents. 

ELngland and Wales. 

Scotland and Ireland. 

(IN PRESS.) 

Other countries of Europe are in course of preparation and 
these will be followed by journeys to Asia, Africa and South 
America. 

Teachers and Pupils. -rou used this reliable, up-to-dats informa. 
tioo of countries treated by a successful teacher of children, 
and an exceedinglT popular writer of stories for children and 
teachers. 



A. FMN/IQ/IN COnP^NT 

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